


Love & Sins - Tested

by dont_hate_me01



Category: NCIS
Genre: Established Relationship, Language, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 15:55:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6913663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_hate_me01/pseuds/dont_hate_me01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gibbs left the house after a major fight with Tony, only to realize hours later that his partner and lover was kidnapped and they had no idea where he was. With no ransom demand, but some dodgy clues, it’s up to Gibbs and the rest of the team to find Tony before it is too late.</p><div class="center">
  <p> </p>
  <p>    <a href="http://s792.photobucket.com/user/Dont_hate_me01/media/Love%20and%20sins%20tested%20smaller_zpskovcp9z2.jpg.html"></a><br/><img/><br/></p>
</div>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Seleya889 (Hinky_Hippo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinky_Hippo/gifts).



> Written for this year's NCIS Reverse Bang challenge over on LJ.
> 
> I was fortunate enough to pick a piece of art from the amazing **Seleya889 (Hinky_Hippo)** for the second reverse bang challenge in a row! Once again her art piece called out to me and I couldn’t wait to sit down and write! Then she surprised me even more with a second piece of art – that one says it all! THANK YOU!!
> 
> To the amazing **AmyH0127** who is always responsible for doing the hard part and shaping my words so that the story can stand on its own. Thank you, you did an amazing job! (I still say you need to charge me!)
> 
> Lastly, but not the least, to **jesco0307** who came on board as my cheerleader and who had the job in seeing each and every raw word that I wrote. She held my hand when I wondered if something was going to work, she had to tell me to breathe that it will work out. She was there each and every time I thought of something and emailed her to pick her brains. Thank you!

**Chapter 1**

**Gibbs/DiNozzo residence: Sunday 22:43**

“You’re doing it again. You’re playing the functional mute, Jethro.” Tony leaned back against the kitchen counter as he silently counted to ten just to keep his temper in control. Gibbs was standing across from him, leaning against the doorframe.

Gibbs frowned. He knew he was doing it, but this time he had a perfect reason not to say a word; especially not to Tony. “You’ve known me for fifteen years, Tony. We’ve been in a committed relationship for the past ten years, why are you now bothered about it?”

Tony snorted. “Why am I now bothered about it? Hell, Jethro, I’ve been bothered about it since the day I first met you in Baltimore. Don’t make out as if it’s something I’ve never cared about.” He pushed himself away from the counter, but kept the distance between them.

“Well, then maybe you should stop trying to change me and accept me as I am.” Gibbs cringed inwardly the moment the words left his mouth. He didn’t mean for it to come out in such a way. Tony had never tried to change him. In fact, the younger man accepted him _warts and all_. Gibbs tried to speak up, but Tony beat him to the punch.

“Go to hell, Jethro.” Tony’s temper finally boiled over as he hurled his still full mug of coffee at the wall across from them. “I’ve had enough.” He stormed past Gibbs as the coffee dripped from the wall and the pieces of ceramic decorated the wooden floor. He jerked free as Gibbs tried to touch his arm and marched up the stairs. Not once did he look back as he entered their bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

Gibbs dragged his hand across his face. “Shit,” he whispered the word and looked up the stairs. He knew he should follow, but he also knew Tony. His lover needed the time to cool off. Instead, he remained downstairs and cleaned the shattered coffee mug and stain on the wall. He knew that this time he pushed Tony too far. Everyone knew Tony was really laid back - his temper very even; some people would say Tony didn’t have a temper. But that was not true. Tony’s temper ran deep and when he was really pissed off - usually at their suspects - he could be calm the one second and explosive the next. Over the past decade, Tony had managed to break a fair number of mugs, but each time Gibbs knew he was to blame. Tony also replaced each mug as soon as they’d made up again and would apologize for his behavior, as if he was in the wrong.

After cleaning up, Gibbs eyed the stairs again and sighed. He didn’t like the fact that Tony said he had enough. Tony had never said that before and it scared him. Gibbs also knew he couldn’t leave it like that and it was with trepidation that he took the stairs up to their room. The door was still closed and he knocked quickly before he entered. Tony was lying across the bed, his one arm flung over his face. He didn’t even look up as Gibbs entered the room.

“Tony,” Gibbs cleared his throat. He received no acknowledgment from the man on the bed and he stepped closer. “Tony,” he tried again.

“Unless you’re going to tell me what it is you’re hiding from me, Jethro, I don’t want to hear it.” Tony took his arm down and moved to lean back on his elbows.

Gibbs lowered his head. He couldn’t.

“You just don’t learn, do you? You still don’t trust me, even after so many years of me being in a relationship with you, of me having your six on the job. Don’t get me wrong, you trust me enough to cover your back from any enemy fire, but here in our house where it is supposed to matter the most, you don’t. How many times did your secrets nearly cost you your life, cost your team their lives and yet, you still keep them.” Tony sounded defeated.

“I do trust you, Tony.” Gibbs finally found his voice.

“Yeah? Then tell me what it is that you’re hiding from me.” Tony got to his feet. He closed the distance between them and extended his hand for him to take.

Gibbs opened his mouth and then closed it again. He couldn’t.

“You’re a real bastard, Jethro.” Tony turned away. “Get out. I can’t and I won’t deal with you now. Just get out.” He indicated to the door behind Gibbs.

“This is my house.” Gibbs barked and he mentally slapped himself as Tony cringed at the words.

“You’re right, it is your house. It was never _our_ house or home for that matter.” Tony lowered his head. “I’ll go. He grabbed his to-go bag that stood in the corner and tried to move to past Gibbs. Within seconds Gibbs had him pressed against the wall.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Gibbs growled and as Tony tried to push against him, he increased the pressure to keep Tony firmly against the wall.

“What, you going to stop me?” Tony snorted and tried to push against Gibbs.

“I will.” Gibbs growled again and as Tony moved forward, he slammed him hard against the wall.

The back of Tony’s head sounded hard against the wall, both men were stunned for a moment before Gibbs released his hold and moved back. Tony’s eyes watered as he reached for the back of his head and when his fingers came back bloodied, Gibbs stumbled away. Even as Tony wanted to speak up, Gibbs moved past him. He was as white as a sheet as he exited the room. “Jethro,” Tony called out and hissed in pain when he touched the bleeding spot again. He gingerly moved away from the wall and made his way over to the door. As he stepped into the passage, the front door slammed shut. Tony lowered his head and groaned as a wave of dizziness assaulted him. “Damn you, Gibbs.” Tony whispered as he steadied himself against the wall. He wanted to go after his lover, but he also knew he had to take care of the bleeding head wound. He could already feel a headache coming on and he could feel the blood running down the back of his neck. Tony managed to get himself back to the en-suite bathroom and reached for a washcloth to stop the bleeding. It stung when he placed the cloth against it, but he kept the pressure on for a few minutes before checking on the bleeding again. It looked like it was slowing down. Tony knew either he would have to go to the ER or he'd have to call Ducky. He didn’t like either option. Tony pressed the cloth against his scalp again and sat down on the tub’s rim.

“Fuck,” Tony couldn’t help but to curse. He knew Gibbs’ uttered the words in the heat of the moment, and he knew his partner did not intend to slam him so hard against the wall. They knew one another’s strong and weak points, knew how to play them to perfection, but violence between them, except when things got rough in the bedroom, was never an issue. He removed the cloth again and sighed in relief when he saw that the wound finally stopped bleeding. It made the decision to skip the ER and Ducky so much easier. Tony got to his feet gently and stripped quickly. He had to take a shower to clean the blood off and then he would call Gibbs. They had to sort this out. He knew Jethro cared and loved him, but his partner would not call, not when the man knew he was responsible for hurting Tony. It would be up to him to let Gibbs know he was all right. Of one other thing Tony was certain, this time he was not going to let Gibbs keep whatever he was hiding to himself. Tony would find out what was going on, before it was too late and Gibbs did something irresponsible, like being killed.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Fornell residence: Monday 01:12**

Tobias frowned as someone continued to hammer on his door. He reached for the weapon that was next to the bed and made his way down the stairs. He switched on the porch light and then yanked the door open. The words that he wanted to snarl were stuck when he saw who was there. “You look like crap and you smell even worse. Did DiNutso finally decide to kick you out?” Tobias didn’t expect a reply, so he just stood to the side and let his longtime friend step inside.

Gibbs stumbled forward and with more good luck than good management, he made his way over to the couch and flopped down. “I messed up.”

“In more than just the usual way, I presume.” Tobias answered from the kitchen as he started brewing some coffee.

Gibbs sighed, but remained quiet. His head was spinning, he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach and he didn’t know if it was because of all the alcohol he consumed or if it was his famous gut.

“Are you going to tell me what you did, or what?” Fornell asked as he pushed the mug of black, unsweetened coffee into Gibbs’ hands. Both men remained silent on the fact that Gibbs’ hands shook when he finally took the coffee from Fornell.

Gibbs shuddered as he took the first sip, but didn’t speak.

Tobias huffed as he took a seat across from Gibbs. “Let me guess, that second b in your last name came out to play again.” He received a grunt in response. Tobias pushed further. “And then because of that, you just couldn’t keep your mouth shut and you said something really stupid. Stupid enough to hurt Tony and stupid enough for you to go on a drinking spree.” Tobias frowned as Gibbs cringed at his words. “And now you here at my house, licking your wounds because that stubborn Gibbs’ ass of yours doesn’t know how to say sorry.”

Gibbs not only flinched at Tobias’ words, but also could see himself shoving Tony against the wall. The sickening thud of Tony’s head against the wall replayed over and over in his mind. The bile rose up from his stomach to his throat and he coughed hard. Even before he could think of saying he was ill, Tobias was already steering him in the direction of the downstairs bathroom. They made it in time and he retched violently into the toilet. Gibbs was relieved when Tobias stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving Gibbs alone to empty his volatile stomach.

After what felt like hours, Gibbs used one of the many spare toothbrushes Fornell had to brush his teeth before he splashed some water on his face. Patting it dry, he exited the bathroom. He found Fornell seated in his favorite chair. “What happened?”

Gibbs sat down and lowered his head. “I shoved him against the wall.”

Tobias remained quiet, just nodded his head.

“He hit his head.” Gibbs cleared his throat. “There was blood.”

Tobias couldn’t believe his ears. “Is Tony all right?”

“I..., I don’t know.” Gibbs got to his feet. “I left; I didn’t even check to see if my partner was all right, I just left.”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Tobias reached for his phone and scrolled down his contact list. He needed to make sure Tony was all right. Tony had earned his respect years ago and they had become good friends over the passing years. He frowned as the younger man’s phone went unanswered. “Let me know if you’re all right. I have your idiotic partner here with me. He’s drunk, but fine.” Fornell left the message and placed his phone on the table. “Do you want us to drive over there?” It was more than an hour away, but Tobias wouldn’t mind.

Gibbs shook his head and groaned as his head started to spin. “Let’s give him time to respond, I don’t think he’ll want to see me again tonight.”

“I’m not sure I want to see you tonight.” Tobias grumbled as he picked up his phone again when it chirped. “You are a real idiot, Leroy Jethro Gibbs.” He shook his head and placed the phone back. “He’s fine. Said he’ll see you tomorrow at work.” Tobias snorted. “Texted that I should make sure to get you to drink enough water, he doesn’t want to deal with a more than usual grumpy boss.”

Gibbs was at a loss for words. He was the one who caused Tony harm yet Tony was the one to make sure he didn’t suffer from any hangover. He was pulled out of his musings as Tobias got up from his seat.

“You know where the blankets are, get yourself one. You’ll sleep on the couch.” He didn’t look back as he walked up the stairs.

“No guest bedroom?” Gibbs spoke up.

“You’re in the dog house, Jethro, so it’s the couch for you. Be glad that I’m willing to let you crash on it.” He disappeared into his own room.

Gibbs sighed as he got to his feet. He found himself walking to the kitchen where he drank two glasses of water before taking a third one with him. He found a pillow and blanket in the hall closet and went back to the living room where he settled in, but couldn’t sleep. Gibbs tossed and turned the whole night. He got up just before dawn, took a quick shower and just took the last sip of his coffee when Tobias came down. He left without a word. He still had a change of clothes at the office he could dress in. He had a lot of thinking to do and the stillness of the office would be the right place to do that. He had to tell Tony what was going on. If he did not, he stood the chance of losing the one man he loved more than life itself.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**NCIS Headquarters: Monday 09:36**

“Try again, McGee.” Gibbs snapped at his agent for the tenth time in less than an hour.

“Still nothing, Boss.” Timothy replied as Tony’s phone went unanswered yet again. He was busy typing away on the keyboard, wanting to kick himself for not thinking about it earlier. With quick fingers, he got into the GPS settings for all of their phones and traced Tony’s phone. “Still at the house, Boss.”

McGee’s statement brought Gibbs to a halt. “Let’s go.” He grabbed his own badge and weapon and headed for the elevators. He reached for his phone and pressed the call button. “Ducky,” he barked as the call was answered. “Get to my house, Tony’s injured.” He didn’t give his friend an opportunity to respond and ended the call. He glared at Bishop when she opened her mouth to ask a question. In silence, they left the building and got into the official sedan. Both McGee and Bishop had to hang on for dear life as Gibbs drove more recklessly than ever before.

McGee closed his eyes as they took a sharp turn at a neck breaking speed. He could almost feel the car going around the bend on only two wheels, before it straightened out and continued at the devilish speed.

“Gibbs, maybe you should slow down a bit.” Bishop ventured to speak up. She received no reply, except the car the rocketed forward with even more speed. Finally, Gibbs’ house appeared and Gibbs slowed down, but not by much. They came to a screeching halt and even before McGee or Bishop could think of opening their doors, Gibbs was already out and running at full speed.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Gibbs/DiNozzo residence: Monday 10:03**

The moment Gibbs stepped onto the porch he knew something was wrong. His weapon appeared in his hand before he reached for the door. He looked back at the two junior agents and was proud of the fact that they noticed his unease and both had their weapons drawn. The door was not properly closed and through the small crack, he could see that the small table that held their keys and some small change was turned over. It looked like the one leg was broken off. The single painting that hung in the walkway was lying on the floor. His gut turned again as he eased the door open and stepped inside.

The whole house was in shambles. Gibbs wanted nothing more than to call out to Tony, but he couldn’t. He first had to make sure the house was clear. Slowly he moved through the ground level and indicated to McGee to go and check out the basement. He made his way to the stairs and stepped over the second step, knowing that it creaked if any weight was placed on it. On the top floor, he moved silently from room to room. Kelly’s old room was ransacked, the two guest rooms as well as the guest bathroom were in shambles but it was the main bedroom that had him nearly falling to his knees. Knowing that he couldn’t crack up now, he called out to the two junior agents after checking out the en-suite bathroom. “Clear!” He moved back to the door, not wanting to contaminate the scene any more than what he already did by stepping into the room. The sheets on the bed were torn to shreds. The pillows were slashed; the dresser across from the bed as well as the large walk-in closet was destroyed, most of Tony’s clothes ripped apart, while his clothes were just strewn about.

The place where Tony’s head hit the wall was still visible as the red spot of blood coated the cream white paint. Gibbs closed his eyes. He had no idea what had happened there, but he needed to find out; he needed to find Tony, because whoever took his lover was not sane, not if you looked at all of the carnage caused in the house. “Boss!” McGee’s voice called from below and Gibbs squared his shoulders. “Coming,” he looked around one more time, his eye landed on Tony’s phone beneath a heap of clothes, now he knew why they couldn’t get hold of Tony, his phone was left behind, making it impossible for them to trace Tony’s whereabouts.

Gibbs took the stairs down two at a time. McGee’s voice could still be heard in the dining room. It sounded like he was on the phone to the office, calling in a team to come and assist. Gibbs knew he had to let Vance know what was going on. He could hear Bishop talking at the front door and realized that Ducky and Palmer had arrived. Blocking them from his mind for a moment, he rounded the corner and this time his knees did buckle beneath him. The wooden floor was hard, but it didn’t matter, not as he took in what was in front of him. The handmade solid Meranti sideboard was shoved to the side. The pictures displayed on it, were on the floor. Their frames broken, the glass cracked. But, it was the overturned chair that held his attention. Beside it was a large puddle of blood. Gibbs had no idea whose blood it was, but his gut – his gut told him it was Tony’s blood. He reached for the old USM sweatshirt that hung over the next chair, before McGee’s hand covered his wrist and held him back. Gibbs lifted his head.

“We’ll find him, Boss. I promise, we’ll find Tony and we’ll bring him back.” McGee squeezed Gibbs’ wrist in support before reaching out and helping Gibbs up from the hard floor. “Balboa’s team is here, I’ll let them in.” McGee excused himself and left Gibbs behind. Giving his boss and mentor just that moment he needed to gather himself. To get a grip on his wayward emotions and to get himself geared up for what was to come.

“I’ll find you, Tony, just hold on. I’m, coming.” Gibbs dragged a hand over his face, and then pulled his shoulders back. Any sign of emotion left his face; his eyes were bright and hard. It was time to hunt, to search and to find those responsible for taking what belonged to him. It was time to do his job.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Navy Yard: NCIS – (23:01:15)**

Vance met Gibbs and the rest of his team at the elevators. He held out a small package to the team leader. “This just came in for you. It’s been scanned and it has been cleared.”

Gibbs took the package and with his knife, he ripped it open. It obtained a single flash drive with a folded note. He read the note and held it out to Bishop. “Bag this and get it down to Abby.” He handed the drive to McGee. “What’s on this?” The three men hurried deeper into the bullpen, while Bishop took the elevator down to Abby’s lab.

Timothy quickly plugged the device in his laptop and waited for it to open up. At first, the screen stayed dark. From the left hand corner, a gloved hand placed a paper down, while in the top right corner a time started to flash.

Gibbs frowned as he saw the time counting down; he didn’t like the sight of it at all. He looked at the typed note. _‘I took something that belongs to you.’_ The timer continued to count down. _‘You were not treating him very well.’_ Gibbs wanted to growl out of frustration. “Is that a life transmission, or whatever it’s called, McGee?” He pointed to the timer.

“It can’t be live as its information saved to a drive, but I assume that it’s there for a reason.” McGee typed a few commands, but nothing happened.

Gibbs lost his patience. “What the hell? Is that all?” As if the flash drive understood him, the hand appeared again with another typed note. _‘Everyone deserves a second chance.’_

The three men stared at the screen. _‘But you’re gonna have to show you’re worthy.’_ “What the fuck does that mean?” Gibbs snarled in anger.

 _‘Solve what I give to you together with your team within the given time and you might be deemed worthy.’_ The screen went blank and just as Gibbs wanted to get angry again a last note was placed down. _‘Follow me…’_ A web address was scribbled down in a tiny handwriting which Tim immediately started entering. He looked up when Gibbs cursed and couldn’t help but to want to scream out of frustration as well.

 _‘PS. The countdown timer in this message was just for the fun, solve this one first, and the real time will be revealed.’_ This time the screen stayed blank.

Gibbs took a deep breath and tried to calm himself mentally. “What’s the link to?” He looked up at the screen again.

“Seems to be an old murder, Gibbs.” McGee quickly scanned the single page to which the link led them.

“He wants us to solve a cold case?” Vance spoke up for the first time.

“Seems like it.” Gibbs responded as he stepped closer to the screen to read the article himself.

“How would we know we solved it, how would he know?” Vance asked with a frown. There wasn’t much to go with.

“I don’t know, Leon.” Gibbs almost hissed. “Find out what you can about the case, McGee.” Gibbs turned around and headed out of the bullpen, taking the stairs to get to autopsy. He needed to talk to Ducky.

He found his oldest friend bent over a body, softly talking to the dead patient. “Ducky,” Gibbs waited for the ME to look up before he continued. “We’ve got someone who wants to play games with us. I’m going to need you.”

Ducky placed down the scalpel he had in his hand and peeled off his gloves. “What can I do, Jethro?”

“Get to the bullpen; let McGee replay for you what we received on that stick thingy. I need you to tell me how old this bastard is, what his level of education is, where he grew up - anything.” Gibbs paced.

“Of course.” Ducky took a chart made a few notes, covered the body with a sheet and stowed it back into one of the drawers. “Let us get going.” He exited the room with Gibbs on his heels.

“I’m going to see Abby.” Gibbs indicated as they got into the elevator and he pressed the button.

Ducky nodded in mere understanding and looked on as his friend got off on Abby’s floor before the doors closed again and he rode up to the bullpen floor.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

“Abby?” Gibbs asked as he stepped into the lab. It was eerily quiet and he wanted to reach for the remote that he knew would make the place come to life again.

Abby turned, her eyes puffy red, her mascara leaving dark trails down her cheeks. “Who would take him, Gibbs?” She slammed into his chest, hugging him hard.

“I don’t know, Abby, but we’ll find him.” Gibbs hugged her back before releasing her. “I know you didn’t have that note long, but is there anything you can tell me about it?”

“Not much, except that the GSM count is pretty high.” Seeing that she lost him already, Abby continued. “GSM stands for grams per square meter. The higher the GSM in paper, the thicker it is. The thicker it is the more expensive it is. The GSM of this note is between 350gsm to 400gms. High quality wedding invitations are printed on this kind of paper. Just to give you a comparison, the paper we use for printing is 100gsm, it’s thin and not expensive at all.”

“Can you trace it?”

Abby nodded her head. “Yes, but only because it’s of such a high quality. I’m busy doing some tests, but I’m sure I’ll be able to get us a supplier. If it was normal printing paper, then it would’ve been like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“Let me know if you get something.” Gibbs pressed a kiss on her temple and then exited the lab, leaving a teary but determined Abby behind.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

The moment Gibbs stepped back into the bullpen he knew something was wrong. McGee was no longer at his desk, but was standing ramrod straight, shoulders squared, blocking someone from stepping into their working space. Balboa was next to him, the senior agent looking grim. “McGee,” Gibbs barked and looked on as Tim only turned his head, but didn’t move away. “What’s going on?”

Before the man could speak up, McGee beat him to the punch. “This is agent Miller, FBI, Boss. He’s here to question you on the whereabouts of Tony.”

A light went up for Gibbs. “Aha.” He walked around the three men, removed his badge and weapon from his side and locked them in the top drawer. “Stand down, McGee.” He ordered his agent. He was proud when Tim stayed in position for a moment longer, eyeing the FBI agent before he backed off. Balboa held his ground.

“Michael?” Gibbs addressed Balboa as he took his seat. He ignored the FBI agent for the moment.

“Agent Miller was sent over to assist in Tony’s case, Gibbs.” Something in Balboa’s voice made Gibbs frown. “And?”

“And he’s decided after reading your statement and having a look at the scene photos, that he wants to interrogate - no, sorry - he wants to _interview_ you.”

Gibbs sighed; he knew why the FBI sent an agent over. It was standard procedure for the FBI to get involved when a federal agent disappeared. He also knew that since he gave his statement at the scene that he’d be a prime suspect in the investigation. It seemed like neither McGee nor Balboa liked that idea at all. “It’s standard procedure, Michael.”

Balboa snorted. “Not to come in here strutting like a peacock demanding to see you and threatening to take you to the Hoover building if you don’t cooperate.” He stepped closer to the other agent.

“I’m doing my job.” The agent closed the gap between them.

“You’re on a witch hunt.” McGee stepped up again.

“Damnit, McGee stand down. You to, Balboa.” Gibbs snapped as he stepped out behind his desk. He looked at the FBI agent. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for the man, but moved towards the stairs to go to the conference rooms.

“I’ll prefer if we do this at the FBI offices.” Miller’s voice was filled with ice.

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow. “Are you arresting me?”

“Not yet.”

“Then we’re doing it here, or you can arrest me, take me to the Hoover building and I’ll contact my lawyer and then you’ll get nothing out of me.” Gibbs eyes burned with fire.

Before Miller could speak up another voice interrupted. “Your conference room will do, Gibbs.” Fornell appeared behind them with Vance next to him.

“Lead the way, Gibbs.” Vance spoke softly as he looked the FBI up and down. He hated agents who would trample over everything just to get that promotion they wanted.

Miller wanted to object, but Agent Fornell was a senior agent and he had to follow his lead. He would however not back down. If this Gibbs had something to do with the disappearance of Agent DiNozzo, he would find out and he would make sure Gibbs went down for it.

The four men finally made their way up the stairs and entered the conference room. Vance was the last to enter and he closed the door behind him.

Gibbs took a seat and turned to face Miller. “What do you want?” He knew he was being impatient, but he didn’t have the time for this.

Miller took out a notebook and pen, opening it slowly, taking his time. Only when he was ready did he speak up again. “You’ve got a bit of a temper on you, Agent Gibbs.”

“Yeah, and?”

“In your statement you stated that you had an argument with Agent DiNozzo. That you and he got physical and that you even slammed his head against the wall.”

“Correct.” Gibbs was not going to give him the satisfaction to get on his nerves. If he wanted to get a reaction out of Gibbs, he would have to do better.

“According to your statement, you left Agent DiNozzo in the bedroom and left.”

Gibbs didn’t respond. He knew what he’d said in his statement.

Miller cleared his throat. “You then went out to drink and ended up at Agent Fornell’s place in the early morning hours.”

Gibbs cocked his head. “Will you be coming to a point soon, Agent Miller or are you going to repeat my whole statement back to me?”

Miller bristled with anger. “It will not help your case being cheeky with me, Agent Gibbs.”

“Well then maybe you should say what you want to and get it over and done with instead of wasting my time.” Gibbs barked.

“Then let me put it to you in a way you’d understand. Agent DiNozzo is not missing. You know exactly where he is. You most likely killed him and staged everything so that it looked like someone else was responsible for his disappearance. It will not work, just come clean. I know you didn’t mean it. It was in a moment of passion, but then you panicked.”

Vance and Fornell looked at one another. Neither man knew what to do. They could both make a run for it and stay outside until Gibbs was done killing the FBI agent or they could stay and watch, but then they stood the risk of getting blood on their suits. It was clear that Miller didn’t bother with reading any other statement in the file. If he had, he would’ve realized a few things that didn’t support his crazy theory.

At first, Gibbs wanted nothing more than to rip the man’s shoulders from his head, but he knew that wouldn’t help him, in fact, if he showed his temper now, it would make the Agent’s case stronger against him. “You’ve got it wrong. When I left, Tony was alive. I did not kill him, and I definitely did not kill him in a moment of passion.”

Miller opened his mouth, but Fornell spoke up. He had enough. “Did you familiarize yourself with the rest of the statements in the file, Agent Miller?”

“Of course,” Miller sounded flushed.

“Then you know that I gave a statement as well. I recounted the length of time Agent Gibbs was at my home and how, in that period, I communicated via text message with Agent DiNozzo. So unless, Agent Gibbs slipped out later, went to his house, killed his partner and came all the way back to my home where I found him sitting in my kitchen drinking coffee earlier this morning, he was not at his residence and he for sure did not kill Tony. So, I would suggest you stop this absurd line of questioning and start doing your job. Help find Agent DiNozzo.”

Miller looked taken aback for a moment, but then he recovered. “You and Agent Gibbs have been friends for years.”

Vance spoke up before either of the other two men could kill Miller. “Both agents Fornell and Gibbs’ phones were confiscated, as well as Agent DiNozzo’s. As far as I know, they are retrieving the data from them as well as the data from both agents’ GPS trackers to ping their locations, and their vehicles’ locations at all material times. I was also informed that the information would be available in less than an hour. I would strongly suggest you hold onto your wild accusations until you receive your information.” He got to his feet. “Gibbs, I know you’ve got work to do. I also know I’m supposed to keep you off this case, but I’d be stupid to do that. Go, find agent DiNozzo and bring him back.” He faced Miller. “You may sit in my waiting area for the information you need. Until then, stay away from my agents.” He turned and exited the room without turning back.

Gibbs and Fornell also got to their feet and exited the room. Gibbs turned back when Miller spoke up again.

“If I find out you had anything to do with Agent DiNozzo’s disappearance, I will not hesitate to arrest you, Agent Gibbs. It will not matter behind who you hide.”

Gibbs looked at the younger man. “I would never do anything to hurt Tony intentionally.” He closed the door behind him, leaving the FBI agent inside and looked at Fornell. “We need to find him, Tobias.”

“We will, Jethro, we will.” Fornell slapped his friend on the shoulder as they took the stairs two at the time to start looking for clues, to find out what had happened to Tony.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Undisclosed location: 21:06:44**

The hulk of a man looked down the deep grave he’d dug and wiped the sweat from his brow. He should’ve known it was not as easy as it looked on TV. He also should’ve done this earlier, instead of paging through his special album. “But I like doing that,” he mumbled to himself as he tossed the shovel to the side and started working on the wires again. Every now and again, he would straighten up and look over the edge of the hole he had dug to where his guest was tightly secured, but still unconscious lying next to the wall.

“I know you won’t agree with what I’m doing here, Agent DiNozzo, but it’s for your own good. I’ve seen your dedication towards _that_ man. My mother told me about the sins of the world, and I agreed with her, until I saw you and _him_ together. There is nothing evil in your love. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure _he_ loves you, but it’s time that he’s taught a lesson. It’s a hard one, but a necessary one.” He looked at Tony again. “My mother gave me the same lesson.” He lowered his eyes. “Our love was not strong enough, we failed; I failed.” For a moment, he stared into nothingness before he snapped out of it and shook his head. He cleared his throat. “I thought of using the same place, but it wasn’t stable enough, it would be unfair to you and to _him_ if Mother Nature won. You know, she’s the strongest force out there.”

With the final connection made to the wires, he hauled himself out of the earthy grave. “Do you think he’ll try and find you on his own?” The man asked as he hooked the Perspex glass coffin up to a pulley system, just a few feet from the ground. “It would be stupid, not if he wanted to find you in time. One must always work as a team.” He sighed and looked around. “Yes, I know, I’m doing this alone, but some tasks must be done in secret, especially if you want the outcome to be just right.” He moved over to Tony and gently wiped the lock of hair out of Tony’s face. “I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, but it’s your fault you know.” He started to pace. “If you didn’t try to get away, I wouldn’t have needed to make you sleep.” A blush crept up the sides of his neck. “I also destroyed your clothes and the bedding. He doesn’t deserve it; he never tells you how good you look. I had to show him what he’ll miss.” He checked the bindings that tied Tony’s feet and hands together. “I will release you from these in a while, I don’t want to restrict your movement any more than what is strictly necessary.” A soft smile appeared on his face as he looked at the clock hanging from the wall. “Let me check to see if everything is working and then we can start on the next part.” He tapped Tony on the leg before he moved away to a table with an array of computers set up. With a few keyboard strokes he could see the inside of the glass coffin and knew that once he sent them the link they’d be able to see Tony in his safe place as well. “Working good,” he patted himself on the top of his head in a sign of praise. “Need to check out one more thing.” He walked over to where two cylinders stood against the far wall. Both were labelled O2 and he checked the levels and the connections before he first hauled one and then the other into the grave. As he placed them inside, he smiled again. “I’m a good boy, planned it all well.” He looked at the width of the grave. He made it wide enough for the bottles to fit, as well as for him to stand next to the coffin when he’d lowered it into the ground to make sure everything fit and worked perfectly. He could’ve lain on top of the coffin, the lid would take his weight but he was just being extra careful. “One could never be too careful.” He turned when he heard a noise behind him. A huge smile appeared on his face. “You’re finally waking up.” He clapped his hands in glee and scurried forward to be right next to Tony when the agent finally woke up.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Tony had a headache from hell. Even with his eyes closed could he feel it thundering against the inside of his skull. The beat was fast and the volume, loud. He groaned and tried to place his hand against his head in an attempt to keep his brains from leaking out. He frowned when his hand refused to move and he tried again. Tony tried to move his left hand, but once again failed in the simple task.

Tony’s movements became jerky. He had no idea what was going on. He could feel something around his wrists and wanted to slap himself when he realized that he still had his eyes closed. He couldn’t stifle the groan that escaped as the harsh light assaulted his eyes when he finally managed to open them. He could feel the tears threatening to run down his cheeks and he closed them quickly again. Tony didn’t think it was possible, but the already trumpeting headache he had evolved into a full-blown orchestra.

When he heard a noise that sounded like someone clapping hands, he pried his eyes open, but squinted to make out the figure standing right in front of him. For a moment, he had no idea who it was, until his memories finally slipped into their allocated spaces. “Russell?” Tony asked perplexed, but then his confusion disappeared and he remembered what had happened. Immediately he started to struggle, but to no avail. The ties that held him in place would not budge.

“Agent DiNozzo,” Russell smiled as he took a bottle of cold water and held it out for the agent to drink. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you awake, you were starting to worry me.” He pulled the bottle away when Tony moved his head without taking a sip of the cool liquid. Russell sighed. “I can understand if you’re angry with me, but I really had no choice.” He sounded sincere.

“No choice? Damnit, Russell I told you I was not going with you. You then assaulted me and even went so far as to kidnap me and now you understand that I’m angry with you. What the fuck?” Tony pulled hard on the ropes that bound his wrists. “Release me, let me go.”

Russell got to his feet and started to pace and shook his head. “No, no. I can’t do that. You don’t understand. I’m doing this for your own good. You need to understand.”

“There’s nothing to understand, Russell. You had no right to assault me, or to kidnap me. Release me, I will talk to the ADA, we’ll get you help, Russell. Don’t do this; you still have the rest of your life to look forward to.”

“No, no. I’m helping you - I am.” He stormed over to the table on the side of the room. “I’m going to help you, you’ll see. I’m going to help you.” He picked up a bottle and a rag and tipped the bottle over the rag letting it soak. He coughed hard as the noxious fumes took his breath away. He turned back and walked over to Tony again. “Sleep, you need to sleep.” He leaned over and with his one massive arm, he pressed Tony to the floor with ease while he placed the soaked rag over Tony’s nose and mouth. “Sleep, everything will be better when you wake up. Sleep.”

“Shit,” Tony cursed as the smell of chloroform reached his nose. He struggled hard against his bindings, but he was helpless when the gentle giant he knew for almost ten years pressed him to the floor and placed the rag over his face. He tried to hold his breath, but with his weakened lungs and the weight of Russell on top of him, he couldn’t hold on. The chloroform took his breath away, he could taste it on his tongue and it burned his throat. He could feel himself getting weaker, but he continued to struggle until his eyes rolled over and he went limp beneath Russell’s large hands.

Russell kept the rag over Tony’s face until he was sure the agent was indeed asleep. “Sleep tight,” he brushed Tony’s hair out of his face again. “Let me get everything ready for you. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Tony, you need to know that.” He lowered the coffin with the pulley system to a manageable level before lining it with a comforter and even a pillow. He then removed the ropes that he used to bind Tony with, picked him up and laid him in the coffin before shutting the lid and sealing it closed. With the pulley system, he lowered the coffin into the grave before jumping in and connecting the wires for the oxygen to the coffin. Russel got out and then made sure the life feed was on before he picked up the shovel and started shoveling the dirt back into the grave. With steady movements, he completed his task until the coffin was finally buried underneath the ground. He placed the shovel to the side and took the seat behind his desk. It was a bit dark inside the coffin, but he knew Tony was there and he knew Tony was sleeping so all was well. He did put in a little light, but he didn’t want to use it now, if Tony needed it, he would be able to switch it on for him. Now he only had to wait for agent Gibbs to do his part, to find the love of his life, to appreciate what Tony meant to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Navy Yard: NCIS – (21:40:07)**

“Boss!” McGee jumped out and used the remote to bring an article onto the screen. “It’s not an old case. It’s sort of a murder mystery dinner.”

Gibbs snapped his head around. “A murder mystery dinner?”

“Yeah,” Bishop spoke up. “It’s normally done by theatre groups and it’s an interactive sort of play.” When Gibbs didn’t respond, Bishop continued. “The cast of the theatre normally play act the murder, but the murderer himself is not revealed. There is a nice dinner and the audience interacts with the cast to ask them questions to find out the identity of the murderer. It’s fun.”

“Do we know where this will be, McGee?” Gibbs couldn’t believe that people would go to something like that. It sounded silly to him.

“There’s a special afternoon show, today, Boss.” He looked at his watch. “It starts in less than an hour.”

“Get an address, let’s go.” Gibbs grabbed his badge and weapon. No one dared to be in his way as he ran towards the elevators.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Miller took the sheets of paper offered to him by the NCIS director. He didn’t need to go through the information; the smug look on the man’s face told him everything. “I’m only doing my job.” He couldn’t help but to defend himself.

“And I’ve got no problem with that.” Vance placed a new toothpick in his mouth. “Your seniors are very satisfied with your work, Agent Miller, but take it from me. Don’t try to leap to the top by reaching conclusions you can’t substantiate. In the end you’ll be the one to look like a fool, no one else.”

A shade of red spread over Miller’s face but he merely nodded.

“Good.” Vince reached over and handed him a stack of files. “Start going through these.”

“Perps Agent DiNozzo put away?” Miller looked at the files in his hand. “Not much, is there?”

Vance sighed. “That’s only the last two months’ stuff, Agent Miller. The rest are in the archives; they will be brought to you as you request them.” Vance stood up. “I’ve set you up in the conference room. I’m sure it will give you enough space to work.”

Miller nodded his head as he took the pile of files. “I would like to see the note Agent Gibbs received.”

“I’ll send Doctor Mallard your way. He’ll be able to help you with a possible profile on our assailant. Our senior Archives Clerk was supposed to assist you, but it appears he didn’t come in today. My secretary indicated she would help you, just ask her.” Vance led the FBI agent back where they met just more than an hour before. “Help me find my agent.”

Miller started working through the files. He was well aware of the fact that due to the way he handled Gibbs this morning he was relegated to work through the files to find those persons Agent DiNozzo put behind bars that had been released. He would also have to check out what threats, if any, were made against the agent to see if one could be a viable lead.

Miller picked up the first file and started reading through it. Every now and then, he looked at the small stopwatch he’d placed next to him. The missing agent’s time was running out fast. He was a firm believer that the best chance of finding someone who had been abducted was in the first twenty-four hours.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Russell sighed and wiped his face as he finally shoveled the last of the dirt back into the hole. He took a rake and leveled everything out. He straightened out and frowned when he saw how dirty he was. “Time for a shower.” He talked to himself as he stored the shovel and the rake away. He looked at the leveled out ground for the last time before making his way over to the stairs. “Don’t worry, Agent DiNozzo, I won’t be long.” He exited the basement door and locked it tight behind him. He had worked hard and felt very proud of himself. He was also hungry and decided to get something to eat as well.

Entering his room, a smile appeared on his face. He loved spending time in his room. He’d decorated it himself. The walls were covered with layers of photos, each one of them was of Tony. He picked up the modified baby monitor and took it with him into the bathroom. He switched it on and at first, he thought that it was not working but as he listened, he realized it was working fine. He could hear Tony’s breathing sounds just perfectly. It seemed like his guest was still fast asleep.

Russell didn’t take long to shower and then dressed in his best clothes. He was expected to dress well for dinner. His mother always told him this. The TV dinner was piping hot, as he liked it, while the glass of milk was ice cold. He cleaned up after himself and then went to change from his dinner clothes into daywear clothes. He switched the baby monitor off and then made his way back down to the basement. It was time to see if Agent Gibbs made some progress in finding Tony.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Gibbs spoke to the production manager at the front door and explained their situation. The manager was not impressed and even went as far as to accuse Gibbs of being from a rival theatre group, but that his act was pathetic. Only when Gibbs cuffed him did he realize the seriousness of the matter. Now they were stuffed in an office not big enough for one-person yet four persons crowded the small space. Gibbs was on the warpath and growling viciously.

“Who’s the killer?”

The manager frowned. “Whose killer?”

Gibbs’ hand slammed against the table. “Don’t play dumb with me. In this stupid dinner thing of yours, who’s the killer?”

“Carl, Carl Lindbergh.” The words stumbled out. “But you do realize it’s only a play, no one gets really murdered.”

“Where’s Lindbergh now?” Gibbs ignored the babbling.

“Should be getting ready to go on, the performance starts in less than half an hour.”

Gibbs shook his head. “Not today. Cancel it.”

“What! Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much money we stand to lose if we did that? And what about the food? It will spoil. No, no. You can come back later, but this show will go on.” He stuck his chin out defiantly.

“Book him for obstruction of justice, Bishop.” Gibbs turned and faced McGee. “Get this place locked down and find me Lindbergh.” He stepped out of the small office and reached for his phone.

“Any news, Abby?” Gibbs asked as the Goth answered the phone.

_“I managed to trace the paper to a very upscale stationary place that does wedding invites, business cards and letterheads. They use the paper exclusively. With a few threats, I managed to get a list of buyers out of them. I’m still cross checking each one. So far, no hits.” Abby sounded disappointed._

Gibbs sighed. “Great work, Abby. Let me know if you find out more.” He didn’t want to tell her that they were still no closer in finding Tony than that morning so he ended the call before she could ask any questions. He could only hope she’d understand. When McGee came back with a skinny pole man Gibbs returned to the office and in the end wished he had not. Lindbergh was even worse than the manager, not with the attitude, but in his stupidity. In the end, they got little out of him before Gibbs sent him away.

“Gibbs, may I try?” Bishop asked as the third actor stormed out of the office in tears. She knew she was taking her life into her own hands, but with Gibbs being even grumpier than usual and Tony not being there buffer Gibbs’ anger, every single witness was being grilled.

Gibbs wanted to snap at her, but he was not getting anywhere so he nodded his head. The next person interviewed was sort of a marketing director, responsible for all of the small things that went out behind the scenes. It was there that they struck gold.

Miriam Daniels explained how the idea started and how it worked. She explained how the people interacted and went on further to explain that the person or group of persons who guessed correctly won a prize. It was normally a gift basket with different sort of small things inside. For example, a key ring, some biscuits, a voucher for a book.

“Who sponsors the gifts?” Gibbs had taken the lead again when it seemed like Miriam was knowledgeable.

“We’re an old company and we’ve got many patrons. Since we don’t want to close this theatre down, they donate the gifts and the only expense the theatre incurs is the basket in which it’s placed and the wrapping.”

“It differs from performance to performance?” McGee asked from where he was leaning against the wall.

“Yes, our patrons would perhaps give us ten key rings and we would place one in each gift basket, someone might give something else and so on. In the end, the value of each basket is about the same. In the region of about twenty to thirty dollars.”

“Where is this performance’s gift basket?” McGee stood up straight.

“You think what we’re looking for might be in there?” Gibbs interest perked as well.

“It’s worth a shot.” McGee followed Marian to the place they kept the gift baskets.

“How do we know which is the correct one?” McGee asked when they opened the door and he saw several baskets prepared.

“We date them.” Mariam showed him the small card on top and handed him the basket.

McGee didn’t wait to take it back to where Gibbs and Bishop were. Instead, he ripped the wrapping from it and started working through the contents. There was a key ring, two different vouchers, a pocket book, a pen and pencil set and one flash drive. McGee didn’t check the rest of the stuff; they found what they were looking for.

“Do you know where we could get a list of all the patrons of the theatre?” He asked as he placed the flash drive into an evidence bag.

“The manager should be able to get you one.” Marian explained and smiled as McGee groaned. “If you give me a few minutes, I can see if I could find it for you.”

“Thank you.” McGee took out a business card and handed it to her. “When my boss sees what I’ve got here, we won’t wait. Please email the list to me. I will send someone to come and collect the hardcopy later, if that’s all right with you?”

“No, problem.” Marian smiled as she took the card and scurried off. McGee made his way back to the small office.

“Boss?” McGee held up the small evidence bag. “I think we got our next clue.”

Gibbs reached for the bag and his shoulders sagged in relief. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for the two agents but stormed off, McGee and Bishop had to run to keep up.

As they passed the dining area, something caught Bishop’s eye and she grabbed it from the nearest table and stuck it in her pocket. She would have Abby take a closer look, but it seemed like the theatre held more than one clue.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Undisclosed location: 19:55:09**

Tony groaned and coughed. He tried to move his hand to cover his mouth, but his movements were clumsy. It felt as he went on a drinking spree and never mind being hung over, he was still drunk. He groaned again. “Fuck,” his voice sounded scratchy and he tried to clear it and it felt raw. “Please, don’t let me get sick, Gibbs will kill me, it doesn’t matter that we’re together.” He mumbled and finally decided to open his eyes and frowned. It stayed dark. “Switch on the light, you fool.” Tony berated himself and reached for where the lamp’s switch should be. He managed to hit the side of something and frowned. He focused on looking around. Not even with the curtains closed, and the lights off should it be so dark. Something was not right. “Gibbs?” He asked and trembled as he heard how hollow his voice sounded. He received no answer. “Gibbs.” He tried again. He moved his hand to reach for his partner, but once again, his hand hit the side of something. “What the fuck?” Tony started to panic and tried to sit up, only to thump his head against something above him.

“What the hell?” Using his arms, he stretched himself out and found that even before either of his arms was straightened out, he touched something. He used his knuckles and knocked. He couldn’t decipher from what it was made, except to say it was hard. He touched it again, it was smooth, and felt a bit cool to the touch. Tony took a deep breath; he could still do that easily, so oxygen seemed not to be a problem. He had to stay calm - he couldn’t panic now. Tony then reached behind his head and his hand thumped against another side. Already he knew he couldn’t sit up straight, so he wiggled his feet and when he couldn’t touch anything with his toes, he shimmied lower until his feet touched another barrier. He closed his eyes again, or maybe they were closed already, he wasn’t sure. Tony could feel his breathing increasing; he couldn’t ignore what his brain was trying to tell him. He could only be in one place – in a coffin and the fact that it was so dark meant something else – he had been buried alive. Tony didn’t mean to, but there was nothing in that moment of time that could make him stop. He screamed, he banged his fists above his head, on the sides, he even kicked out with his legs but it didn’t help. He screamed until his voice gave way and the tears that leaked from his eyes dried up and then he became silent, withdrawing into himself, not wanting to deal with what was going on. For Tony it became darker than what it was. It became hell.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS – (21:40:07)**

“What do have, Gibbs?” Vance asked as he stepped into the bullpen. McGee was busy punching away on his keyboard, Bishop sat on the floor between all of the desks, papers surrounded her while Gibbs stood stone-faced.

“Not sure yet, Leon.” Gibbs turned to McGee. “How long, McGee?” “Almost there, Boss.” McGee looked up and noticed their director for the first time. Knowing Gibbs, McGee continued working but still filled Vance in.

“Found our second link, Director. Just busy decrypting it.” He cursed hard as he hit another snag, but didn’t even bother to apologize.

“We also found out that the paper used to send the note to Gibbs is used by the theatre group. Abby confirmed it minutes ago.” Bishop looked up from her work. The printed name card she grabbed from the table was indeed another clue. “Tony was taken by someone he knew.” She got to her feet and started pacing.

“Why do you say so?” Gibbs turned and grabbed her by the arms, making her stop. “Bishop, why?”

Ellie frowned but then spoke up. “The words in the note. Our suspect knows about your relationship. He sees how you interact with one another; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to say that you’re not treating Tony well. He knows you work in a team.” She turned out of Gibbs’ grasp and made her way over to the photos. “Look at the clothes. I know your clothes are scattered everywhere, but Tony’s clothes are slashed, but not all of them. Not one of his suits.”

Gibbs took the photos. Why didn’t he see this before? “He bought those suits himself, the other clothing were all gifts from me over the years.”

“And the sheets? It doesn’t look like the quality Tony would use.” Ellie asked softly.

Gibbs shook his head. “The last of the fancy bedding are still in the wash. We used my old bedding.”

“And our suspect believes you are not good enough for Anthony.” Ducky spoke up as he walked towards them with the note in hand. “In his mind he needs to protect Anthony from you. He feels that Anthony does not need you, that he can cope on his own. That is the reason I would say he destroyed what he saw as your influence on Anthony. No longer is Anthony dressing in well-fitted suits, but he dresses more casual, almost the same as you. Our suspect does not like that. Not only is he feeling you are mistreating Anthony, but he feels like you are taking Anthony’s identity away from him.”

“What about the fact that he says that everyone deserves a second chance?” Abby came into view, a single sheet of paper clutched in her hands.

“A bit of a conundrum that.” Ducky sighed. “He wants you to find Anthony, Jethro. He wants you to succeed, but I am not sure he would part with Anthony willingly if that happened. He gives hope, but at the same time that hope rests solely in his hands. Should you fail, he would feel disappointed, but at the same time a bit smug. It would be as he thought it would be.”

“Boss?” McGee’s voice made Gibbs turn around. He heard Abby gasp behind him, but he didn’t turn to look at her. His attention remained fixed to the large screen. Finally, he spoke up. “Is that live?”

“Yes, Boss.” McGee’s voice sounded small.

“Trace it.” Gibbs barked as he took another step closer. He didn’t want to but he couldn’t help staring at the image on screen. In the top left corner, a timer counted down while Tony’s prone body could be seen lying in what looked like a coffin. They had less than eighteen hours to find Tony. Gibbs didn’t need to be told what would happen if they couldn’t find Tony in time. His air would run out, Tony would suffocate and die.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Undisclosed location: 19:05:36**

“So good, I’m impressed.” Russell hummed as the alarms he set up started to whine to inform him that the NCIS team had found the clue and now had access to the feed. He grinned. They really did good. He knew it would take a few seconds for them to get the live feed so he switched on the light at Tony’s location and then made sure his firewalls were up, that his signal jumped all over the world and then sat back in his chair. “Gibbs might get to you after all, Tony.” He looked at his monitor that was connected to the camera inside Tony’s resting place. With the light on, he also now could see Tony clearly. “Glad to see you calmed down, you really had me worried.” Russell nervously placed his hand in his mouth nibbling on his nails. Almost an hour before he wasn’t so confident.

He had just settled in with a book when the baby monitor first sounded. He could hear Tony talking to himself and he smiled. Tony had such a wonderful voice; he would listen to it for hours. Then Tony’s voice changed and even before he could make his way back down to the ground floor and get down into the basement, Tony was screaming. He’d never heard anything like that before. He tried the microphone he installed to talk to Tony, but something was wrong and the connection stayed dead. He didn’t like it one bit, he was supposed to keep Tony calm. He was supposed to be able to talk to him, but now it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to. It had upset him tremendously. When Tony’s voice finally gave in, Russell was a mess himself. He’d torn his clothes, and wept just as hard. It took him a while to get himself together again. He had to take another shower, but now he was dressed neatly again, Tony was sleeping and it seemed like Gibbs and his team was finally making progress.

Russell picked up a photo next to his workstation. “It must’ve been so hard for you, Mother. I never really thought how bad it had to be for you as well.” He cocked his head as if he was listening to something and then he nodded. “You’re right, it’s a very hard lesson to learn, but one that must be learned. It doesn’t matter what the costs are, it must be learned.” He placed a kiss on the glass of the photo and placed it back again.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 18:40:00**

“Twenty minutes, McGee, what’s taking you so long?” Gibbs snapped.

“We’re working as fast as we can, Gibbs.” Abby replied. She and Timothy sat behind a pair of keyboards typing away. Whomever they were dealing with, was freaky good. It was as if he knew each move they would make to catch him. Something was hinky.

Gibbs stared at them, but remained silent. He looked on as Bishop came running into the bullpen.

“Received the list of patrons from the theatre.” She was out of breath. “Abby, did you get the list of clients who bought the paper from that fancy place?”

“Emailed it to you.” Abby replied and huffed in annoyance as their target jumped again. She was fast starting to get frustrated.

Nodding her thanks, Ellie booted up her own laptop and retrieved the email. She sighed. There were over three hundred people on the list and the patron list had even more names. It was going to take her a while to go through them all. “Can I use that FBI agent to help me with this?” She looked up and caught Gibbs’ eye.

“He’s in the conference room.” Vance supplied the answer and looked on as the probationary agent leaped to her feet.

“Ducky?” Gibbs asked.

“Anthony is alive, Jethro.” He walked closer to the screen and pointed to where you could see Tony’s hand next to his side. “Look,” Ducky smiled as at the same moment, Tony’s finger curled in and then straightened out again. “I think he’s starting to wake up.”

Gibbs didn’t know if he should be happy or worried about it. He knew; they all knew how Tony felt about enclosed spaces. Especially after his scare with the plague. He always stood right in front of the door when they used the elevator, he always took the aisle seat on a plane, and the windows to the car was always open, the same with in their bedroom. He had to feel some kind of air on or around him.

Tony was getting restless, and Gibbs noticed for the first time that there was enough space for Tony to turn completely on his side; he could also stretch out his legs, without having to bend them the whole time. He was frustrated that they couldn’t hear what was going on and the camera angle didn’t show everything inside. Gibbs wasn’t sure, but he could faintly make out something near Tony’s knee. It looked like a bottle of some sort. He frowned as he noticed something beneath Tony, it looked like a sheet but the image was too grainy to see properly.

“Oh my,” Ducky took a step forward as Tony awoke with a jerk. They could see the exact moment when he realized that he was trapped. He started to slam against the top of his prison, his whole body jerking as if he tried to worm his way out. They couldn’t hear him, but they knew he was screaming. An object toppled over and now it was clear that it was water indeed. Tony didn’t notice it, but continued to slam his fists against the top and sides of his cage. “He’d injured his hand.” Ducky noticed that dark spot that appeared on the side of the coffin. Only receiving the images in black and white, he could say for certain, but he was almost sure it was blood.

Gibbs turned away. He couldn’t keep on watching. The rage built up in him as the images of Tony in that coffin stayed with him. He let out a feral scream and with one swipe cleared everything off his desk. He was aware that Vance had moved Ducky out of the way, as he continued to tear the place apart. Gibbs had no idea how long his rage lasted, but when he came back to himself, Tobias had his arms around him and held him to his chest. His legs gave way and both men landed hard on the floor. Gibbs felt lost, he had no idea what to do. Then the tears flowed and they wouldn’t stop.

“We’ll find him, Jethro. We’ll find him.” Tobias kept on repeating the words, not only to console Gibbs, but to make himself believe it as well. Because it was all that they had.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

FBI agent Miller looked up as the door to the conference room opened up. He smiled at the blonde-haired person.

“I’m Bishop” Ellie introduced herself. “I’m part of Gibbs’ team.” She handed him a list as she took in the discarded files lying around. “No luck?”

Miller yawned and stretched. “Nothing.” He stood up and helped himself with some coffee that was brought to him a while ago. “You want some?”

Bishop shook her head. “Had enough, thanks.” She picked up one of the files. “How far did you get?”

“Gone back two years. No one is out. I can’t seem to get any possible leads.” He sighed.

“You won’t find anything.” Bishop shrugged her shoulders at his questioning look. “We concluded that whoever took Tony knows him.” She quickly explained their reasoning, but failed to see the darkened look that appeared on Miller’s face.

“What do you want from me?” He questioned briskly.

“Your help.” She held out the paper she got from the theatre. “The paper that was used to deliver the note to Gibbs is the same as what the theatre use for their place holders on their tables. If we can find a common name on these lists, we may have a lead.”

“I see.” Miller took the paper from Bishop’s hand. “Let’s do this.” Already the wheels were turning in his head. If they wanted to shut him out, he’ll show them what he could do. He would be the one to solve this case. No matter what it took.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 17:40:00**

Miller nearly jumped up and shouted out his finding, but he managed to keep it together and in the end just raised his arms and stretched out. He looked at his watch and made some calculations. Bishop told him the correct count-down-time, so he knew they had just less than eighteen hours to find DiNozzo. Unfortunately, they had no idea what would happen after that time. Would the agent’s air run out? Would their suspect dig him up and kill him? There were far too many questions with no answers. But, he had a lead, one he was not about to share. If he could find DiNozzo on his own, it would mean a director’s post for certain. It would skyrocket him straight up in the politics. Now he had to get out of here. He had to follow up on this lead from his own office and not from here where everyone could see what he was doing and start asking annoying questions. “I can’t seem to find a match.” He threw the printed list to the side, and sighed dramatically. “All the names are starting to look the same to me.” Miller rubbed over his eyes.

Bishop looked up and nodded her head. “You’ve been staring at the files for a long time before I brought the lists. Why don’t you take a break?”

“No, I can’t.” Miller shook his head. “We need to find Agent DiNozzo.” He picked up the list again.

Bishop got to her feet and gently removed the list from his hand. “Go and take a break. Even if it’s only for an hour. You’ll see it will work wonders.” She smiled.

“What about Agent Gibbs?” Miller remained unmoved behind his chair.

“He’ll understand.” Bishop handed Miller his jacket.

“You sure?” He sounded uncertain.

“I’m sure. Even Gibbs knows we all need a minute or two for ourselves. See you back here in an hour.” She smiled as she gently pushed him to the door.

“You’ll call me if you find anything before then?” Miller asked as he stopped in the doorway.

“I will.”

With Bishops’ words in his ears, Miller closed the door and grinned at himself. He patted the paper that he’d managed to smuggle. The one with the name on that he matched to the name on the list of patrons of the theatre. Not the exact name, but close enough to warrant closer look. He took the stairs two by two and managed to make his way out of the building without being noticed by any of the agents that gathered around in the bullpen. It was time to go and be the hero.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Undisclosed location: 16:00:02**

Russell pressed the earplugs deeper into his ears. He was starting to regret placing the microphone in Tony’s casket. At first, Tony screamed for help, as if he’d forgotten who took him. Then his voice changed, it became deeper, menacing and he started to threaten him. Not what he would do to him when he got out, but what that _man – Gibbs_ would do him when he found him.

Tony continued even as his voice dwindled to a mere whisper that Gibbs would not rest until he hunted Russell down and took his life as Russell took Tony’s. This made Russell frown. He didn’t want Tony to die; Gibbs just had to be taught a lesson. He had to come to the realization that he was not treating Tony right. That if it wasn’t for him, Gibbs would indeed lose Tony forever. Did they not understand?

“Shut up, just shut up!” Russell shouted out of frustration. He knew it wouldn’t help, but he had to try. “Stop this tantrum, Tony. Stop it.” He paced over the area Tony was buried beneath. “Mother would not like this. I don’t like this. You are making my head hurt. I cannot think, properly.” He pressed his fingers against his temple. “I need to rest. I need to have a cup of tea. Proper English tea, just like Doctor Mallard.” A smile appeared on his face. “Doctor Mallard would agree with me, Tony. Throwing a tantrum will not help.” He looked over at the scene and smiled as he realized that Tony had found one of the bottles of water and downed it in only a few gulps. “You see, even just drinking water makes you to calm down.” Russell noted happily as Tony stopped screaming and threatening him. In fact, it looked like Tony was more settled and even started using his hands to search his enclosure to look for more things. Russell smiled. “All well then, I’ll see you in a bit.” Something at the back of his mind was bothering him, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. Instead, he forgot about it, hoping that when he had his tea he might remember what it was.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Tony swallowed with difficulty. His throat was raw, every time he tried swallowing it felt like he had shards of glass in his throat and it tasted coppery as if it was bleeding. The pressure on his chest increased by the second as it felt to him like the space was shrinking with every breath he took.

His hands throbbed, both of them slick with blood as he kept on hitting the top and sides of his prison. Tony knew it wouldn’t help, but it was instinct. He had no idea if Russell could hear him, but he took pleasure in explaining not only what he himself would do to the man, but also what Gibbs would do. He had to keep the anger inside of him, he had to be worked up - keep the adrenaline going. If not – he would panic like the first time and he couldn’t afford that. He had to keep it together, especially as he had no idea how much time he’d lost when he got lost within himself after realizing he was buried alive. He was still unsure on how he managed to get back to himself. Tony closed his eyes; he didn’t want to think about that.

Tony took a deep breath; he was so thirsty and wished he had something to drink. Then on the other hand, maybe it was a good thing he didn’t have anything to drink. He knew how the rules of nature worked. What goes in, must come out and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to not only piss himself, but then also stay trapped in his prison with the wet pants and stench it would bring.

He stretched out and frowned when he felt something against his knee. He used his hand and felt around until he found the object and as he held it in his hand he run his hands over it and realized what it was. A bottle – plastic, but still a bottle. By the weight, it was full. Now, if it only contained water. Tony couldn’t help but to snort. “Maybe I should wish for a way out of here.” He spoke aloud. He managed to open the bottle and sniffed at it. It didn’t smell like anything and he took the first sip. It was water and so refreshing that he couldn’t help to groan as it soothed his throat and with large gulps, he finished the bottle. It didn’t even matter that he had no idea if there was more; he just had to drink it all. “There must be more.” He searched around for more, his hands connecting with another object on his left. On the right, he found two more. By the shape, all bottles and he hoped for them to be all water. Tony also realized that he couldn’t empty another bottle in one go again. He had to use it sparingly. There had to be some left when he was rescued. _‘If I still have oxygen by then.’_ Tony couldn’t help but to think of that. He took a deep breath. The air was still clean; it didn’t smell stuffy at all. _‘Russell must’ve rigged it up with oxygen.’_ Tony realized that he had to find the opening through where the air came however slim the possibility; it might be a way of getting out. He did realize that in all likelihood that it was a mere tube that supplied the oxygen but until he investigated, he wouldn’t know. Tony did a sweep of the sides, but found nothing. His eyelids were growing heavy. Tony had no idea how long he had been in this place, and although he knew that by sleeping he wouldn’t get out of there, he knew that if he didn’t get some sleep he’d be too weak to get out in any case. He yawned once and then closed his eyes. _‘Find me, Gibbs.’_ It was the last thought he had before he drifted to sleep.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 15:01:13**

McGee slammed his fist against the keyboard and growled. They were not getting anywhere. Tim had to agree with both Ellie and Ducky’s assessment of the person who took Tony. Not only did that person know Tony, but also he or she knew how the NCIS operated and how they traced suspects through live feeds, because never mind what he tried, it was as if their suspect stayed one-step ahead of them the whole time.

“Timmy?” Abby’s voice sounded small next to him.

“He can’t be that good, Abby. It’s as if the bastard can see what we’re doing. He stays ahead of us, the whole time.” McGee was crestfallen.

Abby nodded her head, her twin ponytails bouncing in agreement. A frown appeared on her face. “What if it’s someone from the office?” She couldn’t help to whisper.

Timothy frowned. He didn’t like the idea that someone from the office could’ve snatched Tony, but it would fit in with everything thing else. “Who has the same knowledge that we do?” He asked as he opened a new window to start looking for a possible culprit.

Abby looked at Tim and shook her head. “Are you saying it someone who works here, with us, with Tony?” She shook her head. “It can’t be.”

“And why not, Abby?” Tim sounded frustrated. “Both Bishop and Ducky are convinced that whoever took Tony knows him. So who knows him better than those that work here? Who knows our policies and procedures better than anyone else?” Tim sighed. “I don’t like to think about that either, Abby, but it might be someone from here. The quicker we work to find out if it’s indeed someone in this office, the better.” He lowered his voice as an agent walked past.

A look of determination appeared on Abby’s face. “Let’s find that person.”

Tim typed different commands on the keyboard and a list of names appeared on screen. “Okay, let’s see. The secretarial pool and the admin staff can be excluded immediately. None of them have the knowledge to pull something like this.” Several of the names disappeared from the screen.

“We’ve got several undercover missions going on as well.” Abby gave Tim the names of the agents and the list became shorter. They worked through the whole of NCIS and then looked at each other.

“We’ve done something wrong.” Abby was close to tears.

Tim shook his head. “We’re missing something.” He recalled the original list. First, he took off all the undercover agents’ names and then the MCRT team’s names. He removed the secretarial pool list, but kept the rest of the admin names on. “Our possible suspect is in this pool.” He dragged his finger over the screen and looked at Abby.

“How many of these ever came to you and asked for some computer help?”

Abby shook her head. “None of them. You?” She looked at Tim.

“Not a lot, but a few of them came more than once.” McGee highlighted the names. There were sixteen in total.”

“You think it’s one of them?” Abby frowned. “Most of the people on that list are old enough to be a grandparent to me.”

“All of them came to me with more than just the normal question of how you change the font type, Abby. They asked technical questions. We need to check them out.” He looked around and found the two lists Bishop printed out from the paper company and the patrons of the theatre. He didn’t think they would find a match, but it had to be eliminated.

Abby snorted when she tapped on the screen. “I think we can take Deloris’ name off, McGee.”

Tim smiled and removed the name. It left them with fifteen. “Let’s see what we can get.” He looked at the screen next to him. They were still trying to trace the spot where the live feed was coming from. Tim’s eye caught the countdown clock. They had only about fourteen hours left to find Tony. Time was running out.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Hoover Building: FBI 13:54:37**

Miller leaned back in his chair. The latest computer search he’d done was just complete and he couldn’t believe what he found. Someone in NCIS was going to lose their job if this became known. He grinned. Unfortunately, it would not be that arrogant Agent Gibbs. Although, if he played his cards right, he might get the man knocked down a few notches.

Russell Rhodes (born Phillips) was the senior archive clerk working at NCIS and the one who was supposed to help him out to day. Russell was also the man who kidnapped Tony DiNozzo. Of that, he was sure. He scrolled down and shook his head. The more he read the larger his eyes got. It was not only one person who’d be losing their job. Miller couldn’t help to wonder how far up this went, or how it was even possible to be just an oversight.

Russell started working at NCIS when they were NIS. He started in the mailroom and worked his way up until now after so many years he was the senior clerk in archives. The man was single with no dependents. Unless, you dug deeper and found that for years Russell stayed with his mother. Margaret Sanders-Phillips. Her husband died under suspicious circumstances and although inquiries were made into her possible involvement, she was never formally charged.

Russell was a single child, born late, out of what he could read, a loveless relationship. Seems like the only reason he was born was for the fact that both Margaret and her husband thought it to be their duty to conceive one child for the preservation of the family bloodline.

Miller shook his head again. Russell as a single child was very alone and kept to himself. He had few friends although he excelled in school, even labelled as a genius, but unfortunately, his parents felt that a child should not be encouraged to work beyond the level of school and he never got the opportunities in life he should have had.

There was something else wrong with Russell according to his mother. Russell was a homosexual. Influenced by the devil and Margaret was of the opinion that Russell was doomed and would suffer in hell for all eternity.

She set out a task for Russell and his boyfriend. If they could pass this test, it meant that God has blessed their relationship and then Margaret herself would have no problem with it. Miller shuddered as he read the records. She with the two young men’s blessing took Russell’s lover and left certain clues to where he was, saying, that God gave people second chances so she would too.

Unfortunately, Margaret also had a mean streak in her, she made the clues very vague and Russell didn’t find his lover in time. Though Margaret said that no harm would come to the young lover, she buried him alive. He died even before Russell could start uncovering his grave.

His mother was charged with murder and convicted thereof. The DA tried to charge Russell as well, but it soon became clear that although he knew his mother was testing their love, he had no idea what her plans entailed. It had driven him over the edge. At that stage, he was only twenty years old. Russell was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and after six years, he resurfaced and was now Russell Rhodes and no longer Phillips. Shortly thereafter, he started working at NIS.

Miller had no idea why Russell snapped or why he picked Tony, he only knew that this was his chance. He found two addresses for Russell. The one looked like the family home, the other his personal residence. Not knowing where he would find the man, Miller decided to go and investigate both places. He scribbled the addresses down on a piece of paper and shut down his computer. It was time to get Agent DiNozzo back. He knew that NCIS would not find the link between the two lists he had compared. If it weren’t for the fact that he overheard something earlier, he wouldn’t have noticed it either. This would be his moment of glory. It was time to be the hero.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 13:03:17**

Gibbs frowned as he opened the door to the conference center and found it empty. The files Miller was working on were strewn across the long table and the laptop he used was lying to the side. “Bishop, where’s Miller?” he asked as he took the stairs two at a time to get down into the bullpen.

“He took a break.” Bishop took an involuntarily step back as Gibbs moved into her personal space.

“A break? From what?” He hissed in anger.

“He was not feeling well. I told him to take an hour.” Bishop nearly whispered the words. By the murderous look on Gibbs’ face, she knew she’d done wrong.

“Since when do you have the authority to send anyone away, Probationary Agent Bishop?” Gibbs seethed. “Unless you’ve forgotten, we’ve got a missing agent. _Your_ Senior Field Agent, _my_ second in command and _my_ partner. There’s no time to take breaks, Agent Bishop.”

“I’ll get him back,” Bishop stumbled over her feet to reach for the phone.

“Do that.” Gibbs snapped before turning around and staring at McGee and Abby. “What do you have?”

McGee held his breath. Even after years of working with Gibbs, he always got tongue tied when Gibbs was in such a mood. He opened his mouth to speak up, but luckily, Abby beat him to the punch.

“We’re all worried, Gibbs. It’s no reason to talk to Bishop like that.” She stood up and before Gibbs could respond, she hugged him tight.

“Abby,” Gibbs still growled.

Abby ignored him for a second before she stepped back. She was frowning. “We think it might be someone working with us who took Tony, Boss.” She switched to ASL and explained to him what they found.

Gibbs frowned. “Are you sure?” He asked aloud.

“Positive.” Abby replied and stepped back behind the computer she was working on. “We’ve narrowed it down from sixteen to six possibilities. Still looking to find a connection between them and Tony.”

Bishop and moved to stand alongside Gibbs. She was also frowning. “Miller is not picking up his phone, Boss. I phoned his office, he’s not there.” She looked at the names on the screen. “Have you compared them with the lists?”

McGee nodded his head. “There’s no match, Boss.” Timothy addressed Gibbs.

“Find me a connection.” Gibbs barked the order. He looked at the screen. Tony’s body was still visible inside. It looked like he was sleeping. Gibbs hoped he was only sleeping. “Going to Ducky.” He didn’t look back as he made his way over to the elevator to go down to the morgue. He would phone Vance from downstairs. If what Abby and McGee found was true, they had an even bigger problem.

Bishop looked on as Gibbs stormed off. “I made a huge mistake.”

Abby shook her head. “You cared.”

Bishop took a step closer and looked at the names on the screen. Her eye caught the search they were running to the side to trace where the link came from. She looked up at the two friends. “You have all of their addresses right?”

McGee nodded. “Why?”

“Do a reverse search.”

Abby frowned and then squealed. “That’s brilliant, Bishop.” She slapped Timothy on the back of the head as he looked at them with a blank expression on his face. “We’ve got their home addresses, so we can trace their IP addresses, with their IP addresses we can see what they’re doing online.”

“We can trace any live feedback from their places to here and if it corresponds we’ve got a match.” McGee grinned. “Let’s do this.” He and Abby shifted in behind their computers again and started typing away.

“I’ll find, Miller.” Bishop indicated to her phone, but as she received no reply, she moved on. She couldn’t help but to frown and wonder what happened to the FBI agent. She made her way back to the conference room. Something told her to have a look where he sat and worked. There was a note pad next to a file with the lists she printed out. It looked like Miller loved to doodle. She cocked her head and looked at the words that were scribbled in between the rest of the doodling art. “Phillips?” She picked up the paper. There was a second word as well. “Russell?” None of the two last names made any sense to her. It was then that she noticed that the list sent over by the theater group was short a page and she frowned. “What’s going on?” She spoke to herself as she sat down and logged into the laptop. She was certain something strange was going on, she just had to find out what.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

As the doors to autopsy closed behind him, Gibbs sighed. “Ducky.”

Ducky looked up and smiled. He saw Gibbs staring at the large monitor. “Abby helped me to link the feed to here so that I can keep an eye on Anthony.” He indicated to the monitor and to the clipboard he had with him. “There is not much I can do from here, but his breathing is even and calm. It makes me believe that he is getting oxygen and that he has no difficulty in breathing. At this moment, for us, that is the most important thing.”

Gibbs continued to stare at the screen. Only once before had he felt so helpless. With Shannon and Kelly’s death it felt like it was the end of the world. Now, that feeling has returned. He jerked as a hand landed on his shoulder. “Sorry, Duck.” He tiredly ran his hand over his face.

Ducky made no comment on the fact that Jethro apologized. “Let us get something to drink.” He didn’t wait for an answer but headed over to his small office on the side of the large autopsy room and opened the bottom drawer of the steel cabinet. He smiled when he saw the golden liquid inside of the bottle. “Either you or Anthony have been here again, I see.” He shook his head. “I do not blame you, in our line of work, we all need a something extra once in a while.” He took two glasses and poured them each a shot of bourbon. “Sit, before you fall over.” Ducky indicated to the chair behind Gibbs who’d followed him into the office. Ducky also sat down.

“There was nothing you could do, Jethro.” Ducky handed the glass to his friend. “The person responsible for taking Anthony had everything meticulously planned. He waited for the perfect opportunity before he took him.”

Gibbs snorted. “If I didn’t leave, Tony would still be here, Duck.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ducky shrugged his shoulders. “Since Anthony was taken, three cases came through. One of which would have been your case, Jethro. Do you know what could have happened there?” Ducky shook his head. “This man has patience, Jethro. I suspect that he has no qualms in waiting. He is well organized. He thought everything through.” Ducky could see that his friend was not convinced. “When you want something done and you cannot do it yourself, you always send Anthony. What if you sent him out today? You would not have been able to keep an eye on him twenty-four-seven, Jethro. Stop blaming yourself. It will not work, not if you want to find Anthony. You know he is going to need you when you find him, Jethro. With his scarred lungs, and having been buried alive, he will suffer from nightmares and just like you, he will not talk to anyone about it. Anyone, except you that is.”

Gibbs grimaced as the fiery liquid burned his throat. “I wanted to surprise him.”

Ducky frowned and then sighed. “And he thought you were hiding something from him. Something bad.” Ducky shook his head.

“I tried to tell him, but I couldn’t.” Gibbs lowered his head. “I couldn’t even say to him that it was a surprise. Instead, I got on my high horse and accused him of wanting to change me. I even went as far as to say our home was _my_ house. He was so angry, but hurt even more. I could see it in his eyes.” Gibbs looked up. “I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for this, Ducky. I know I wouldn’t, so why would he?”

“And that, my friend, is the difference between you and Anthony. He will forgive you; in fact, he will say there’s nothing to forgive. You know him, Jethro. He loves you more than he loves anything else in life. He will not blame you for this and you need to stop blaming yourself as well.”

Gibbs sighed. He wanted to reply when he saw how pale Ducky got. “Ducky?” He got to his feet and looked over his shoulder to where Ducky was staring at the large monitor. What he saw made legs go weak. “Tony!” There was nothing he could do except to stare at the screen as well.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Undisclosed location: 12:29:04**

_“You just don’t learn, do you? You still don’t trust me, even after so many years of me having your six on the job, being in a relationship with you. Don’t get me wrong, you trust me enough to cover your back from any enemy fire, but here in our house where it is supposed to matter the most, you don’t. How many times did your secrets nearly cost you your life, cost your team their lives and you still do it?”_

_Tony’s head rolled from side to side as he was caught in the grip of a nightmare._

_“You’re not going anywhere.” Gibbs’ face transformed into a snarling mask as he slammed Tony against the wall._

_He reached for the back of his head. Tony didn’t need to look at his fingers to know what the stickiness on his fingers was. “Jethro?”_

_“I’ve had it with you, DiNozzo. You’re always moaning and whining. You never leave me alone - give me space. I can’t even work alone in the basement anymore without you trampling down there and taking over. I’ve had enough.” Gibbs picked him up and slammed him several times against the wall._

_Tony tried to stop him, but it was as if his arms refused to work. He couldn’t lift them from where they were hanging down his sides. “Please,” he whispered and coughed. Blood dripped from his mouth. He could taste the coppery substance in his mouth as it slid down his throat. “Gibbs, Jethro.” Tony tried again. He managed to move his arm and tried to wipe the blood from his face._

_Gibbs laughed, tilted his head back and laughed some more. “Pathetic, DiNozzo.” He let go and watched as Tony tumbled to the floor, landing on his hands and knees._

_Tony coughed, blood streamed from his mouth, but it was darker, and no longer a liquid. He coughed again, as dark soil - mud streamed from his throat. He could no longer breathe; the hardwood floor beneath him gave way to soil, soft muddy soil in which he started to sink. Tony tried to crawl away, tried to get away, but the mud pulled him in, held him tight. The more he struggled the more it sucked him in. “Gibbs!” He tried to reach for the man he loved, but Gibbs stepped out of reach and laughed._

Tony kept on squirming and twisting inside the confined space, his body jerking as tremors of undiluted fear passed through him. His legs and arms thrust against the sides, the broken skin on his hand opening again as he tried to escape. Tony gasped for air; he was trapped in his dreams and did not realize that he could breathe normally. His lips turned blue, his movements slowed down and with a final jerk, his body became still.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Undisclosed location: 09:57:49**

Russell paced and murmured to himself. The hair on his head stood at odd ends as he gripped it between his hands. His skull bled - clumps of hair and flesh lingered on the floor. He shook his head and whimpered in despair. Nothing was going the way he planned it - he didn’t think this would happen.

He was in the kitchen preparing himself something to eat when he first heard Tony over the monitor. In the beginning, Tony’s voice was soft, but then it became louder and Russell could hear that Tony was crying. For the umpteenth time he wanted to kick himself for not making sure that the communication system worked and that he could calm Tony down. He’d frowned at Tony’s words. What the man said didn’t make sense, until he realized that Tony had to be dreaming. He heard him cry out for Gibbs, begging him for something and then as Russell stared at the monitor, it looked like Tony had a seizure of some kind. Russell panicked; he had no idea what to do. In the end, he did nothing. He just looked on as Tony’s body became rigid and became motionless. He couldn’t even see Tony’s chest moving, it didn’t matter how close he stood to the monitor. That was just about two and a half hours earlier.

Russell turned and faced the screen again. Just as the last time he looked, there was no movement from Tony. Without realizing it, Russell sank to his knees. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He wept uncontrollably. “I thought your love was stronger, but I was wrong, so wrong.” He came to his feet and traced the outline of Tony’s body on the screen with his finger. “I’ll take you back. It’s over now. I’ll take you back.” Russell stumbled across the floor and picked up a shovel, still hiccupping as he pushed the shovel into the ground to start digging Tony up.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Phillips’ residence: 09:28:11**

Miller looked at the address he’d scribbled down and at the house he stood before. After making double sure, that it was indeed the correct address he opened the small gate and walked up to the front door. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure if he should’ve brought back up. But this was his time to shine. He would just spin it that he had no time to call; he had to act immediately. He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the solid wooden door. He could hear no sound coming from inside. He knocked again and tried the door. He smiled as it turned easily in his hand. He would just say he heard something and that he had probable cause to enter. He took his side weapon out and took a quick tour of the ground floor, finding nothing of importance and eerily deprived of life.

He dragged his finger across the table surface. It was coated in a thick layer of dust. “Not very clean, now is it.” He wiped his hand against his trousers and made his way up the winding staircase. The second floor held three bedrooms and one bathroom. The main bedroom’s bed was covered in sheets, but the rest of the furniture was open and deprived of dust. Even the wooden floor shined. It made Miller frown. He noticed a photo to the side of the dresser and picked it up. It was of a very stern looking woman, big boned with long hair tied into a bun. She was not smiling and almost stood at attention as she looked straight into the camera lens. Next to her stood a young boy, no older than fifteen. He had the exact same pose. The resemblance between them was striking. “Mother and son.” Miller placed the photo back on the dresser and made his way out of the room.

The second bedroom looked more lived in, but it obviously had been some time since it someone actually slept in the room. The bed was made with perfect corners and you’d be able to bounce a quarter of the bedspread. But the room smelled musty and dust lingered on the surfaces as well. Miller moved quietly through the room. He picked up a letter and scanned it quickly. “Well, I’ll be dammed.” He grinned as he folded the letter and pushed it into his pocket. Miller reached for his phone and entered the information he gathered from the letter. He ignored the rest of the house and he made his way back out. As he reached his car, his phone beeped. He looked at the screen, rolled his eyes and switched it off. He had no time for a silly NCIS agent acting as if she cared. He got into his car and drove off. He didn’t get to play the hero here as he thought he would, but at the next location – it would be his time to shine.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 09:03:17**

Bishop bounced down the stairs, her hair tied in a single ponytail keeping it out of her eyes. “McGee,” she stopped when she saw how pale Tim was. “What’s going on?” She asked concerned and stepped closer. She was surprised to see him in the bullpen. She thought he would still be in Abby’s lab.

Tim ran a hand over his face. He couldn’t hide the fact that his hands were trembling. “Tony had some sort of seizure about half an hour ago.” He couldn’t get the image of what he’d seen out of his mind.

Bishop blanched at the news. “Is he all right?” She stepped closer to the screen. Tony’s prone body was visible and she blanched again. “Is he alive?” The last word came out in a whisper.

Tim shook his head even as he spoke up. “We’re not sure. I had to enlarge the image even more for Ducky, but he’s not sure. None of us are sure.”

Bishop found herself sitting on the floor. She had no idea how she’d managed to do that. “Gibbs?” She had only been on the team for about a year, but if there was one thing of which she was certain, it was the fact that Gibbs and Tony loved one another with all that they had in them.

“Still down in autopsy. Fornell is there as well.” Tim sighed and frowned. “Did you get hold of Miller?”

Bishop shook her head. “I did find something else.” She explained to Tim what she found where Miller was working.

“So no Russell or Phillips on our list, but we’ve got a Russell working here.” Tim brought up the photo of Russell Rhodes. “He’s the senior archive clerk and has been working here for more than ten years.”

“He’s not on either of the lists.” Bishop sighed. “I already went through this.” She sounded frustrated.

“And you also know that it never hurts to check again.” Tim brought up the two lists and had to agree with Bishop. Russell Rhodes was not on there.

“Check the last name Phillips.” Bishop took a chair and moved closer.

“Russell Phillips?” Tim’s fingers glided over the keyboard. There were thirty-seven matches. He immediately started thinning them out. “Holy shit.” Timothy actually jumped up.

“What did you find?” Bishop looked up.

McGee didn’t respond instead he shifted back behind the computer and started typing furiously.

“McGee, what’s going on?” Bishop asked again.

“Something hinky.” McGee answered clearly distracted by what he was looking for. He didn’t say anything else, just went through record after record. Calling up different reports, news articles and what looked like employment records.

“What’s this, Tim?” Bishop asked when Tim opened a file on the big screen. It looked like a court transcript.

“I need to see Gibbs.” Timothy typed a few commands and then looked up at Bishop. “I think I know who might have Tony.” He left Bishop gaping as he headed down the stairs.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Sanders residence: 08:02:05**

With disgust Russell flung the shovel he used to the side. He was breathing hard, sweat dripped to the ground beneath his feet. His back, his legs, his arms were killing him and he wasn’t even half way. It was just too much for a man of his fitness level. He always loved looking at Tony. The agent was always so fit, he had a flat stomach, a tight ass and he never broke a sweat. He was pure perfection. At one stage, he tried to be like Tony. He went to the gym, he started jogging, but people laughed at him and he couldn’t take the humiliation so he stopped.

Thinking of Tony lying dead in that Perspex casket brought Russell to his knees again. He didn’t mean for Tony to die. He only wanted to show Gibbs that he was mistreating Tony. That Tony was worth having by his side every second of the day – to be loved in every way. A cry of anguish escaped his lips as he pounded the overturned soil with his fists.

A shrill alarm reached his ears and Russell frowned. “I’m not expecting any visitors.” He came to his feet unsteadily and made it over to the monitor that was linked to the security system on the outside of his home. A single white male was making his way over to the front door. Russell frowned at the man. “FBI agent.” He snorted. After working so long for NCIS, he had a nose for picking out any type of Fed, be it NCIS, FBI, NSA; they all had _that_ look. The man was not one he’d seen at NCIS before and he was fairly sure that it had nothing to do with Tony. If Gibbs had tripped the alarm, it would be a very different ball game.

Russell looked down at himself and cursed. He was covered in dirt and had no time to clean himself up. He heaved up the stairs and locked the door behind him. Knowing that the agent would not be able to see him, he slipped out of the backdoor.

Miller rang the doorbell for the third time. He wanted to barge right in, but something told him to be careful, so he decided to ring the doorbell a few times before he made his way into the house. Just as he pressed the small button again, a male voice sounded behind him and Miller turned around and plastered a smile on his face.

“Can I help you?” Russell wiped the dirt from his hands and placed the small shovel he held in his hand on the ground.

“Yes, I’m looking for Russell Rhodes?” Miller made sure he used the last name Russell used and not his birth last name.

“That’s me.” Russell frowned. “And you are?”

Miller took out his identification and opened it up. “I’m Special Agent Miller from the FBI, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

Russell made sure to take a good look at the identification while at the same time he tried to remain calm. “What kind of questions?” He picked up the small garden shovel and indicated for the agent to follow him. He didn’t want to face the agent when he asked the first question. Not that he had anything to worry about. No one knew what he had done.

“You work at NCIS as an archive clerk?” Miller asked from behind as he kept his hand rested on the grip of his pistol.

Russell nearly tripped over his own feet at the simple question. He didn’t expect that one. Without turning, he nodded his head. “Yes, I’ve been working there for more than ten years.”

“So you know the people you work with you very well?” Miller made sure to keep his eyes on the man walking in front of him the whole time.

Russell started to relax. “As good as you can get to know your co-workers in those hours you work together, I guess.”

“Do you know of anyone who would harm Anthony DiNozzo?” The question came quick and even as Miller asked it, he pulled his sidearm from the holster and pointed it at the man in front of him.

This time Russell stumbled badly and nearly landed face first on the ground. He didn’t need to hear the hammer being pulled back to know that the pistol was pointed at him. He slowly lifted his hands and held them above his head. “Please don’t shoot.”

“Get down on your knees.” Miller ordered as he finally closed the distance between them. He waited for Russell to comply with his order before he pushed his firearm back into the holster and reached for the handcuffs. He grabbed hold of Russell’s arm and found himself on the ground as the large man managed to twist his large frame quickly, taking him by surprise.

“You will not ruin my plans!” Russell screamed as he used his fists to pummel Miller. He knew the agent still had his firearm, but he couldn’t care less. Now he only had one goal in mind and that was to keep the fact that he had Tony quiet. It had nothing to do with anyone else.

Miller tried to cover his face as the blows rained down. At the same time, he had to get his firearm out of its holster, but found it difficult as each of the larger man’s blows stung hard. He knew he got in a few shots of his own as Russell grunted a few times, but he still couldn’t dislodge the man atop of him, nor could he managed to reach his firearm. Miller gasped for breath as Russell leaned in and grabbed his neck and started to choke him. The pressure around his throat was immense, and he felt that he would need oxygen soon.

With Russell’s hands around his neck, it meant he had a chance to reach his pistol, but by the black spots forming in front of him, he knew he would only have this one shot. His struggles became weak and he tried to kick up with his legs, but with no success. With a large push he managed to topple Russell over, at the same time got hold of the pistol, and brought it up. He was heaving hard, his eyes teared and he had to do everything in his power nor to gag, but rather gasp for breath as Russell realized he now had his weapon and the bigger man started struggling with him over that.

They fought hard, both men punching, scratching and kicking to get hold of Miller’s weapon, but none of them could get a proper hold over the pistol. Miller managed to get the hammer pulled down, but then Russell got hold of the barrel and pushed it downwards, towards Miller, who once again found him on the bottom of their two men fight.

Miller took the risk to let go of the firearm with his one hand and used it to punch Russell hard on the right temple. It had the necessary effect as the large man tumbled sideways and lost the grip he had over the pistol. Miller didn’t lose his grip and rolled over pulling the trigger once even before he could get properly to his knees.

Miller coughed hard and rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He didn’t need to check for a pulse to see that his shot was true. Russell Rhodes would never hurt anyone else again. Miller managed to smile. Now he only had to find DiNozzo. He brushed the sweat from his brow and hissed as he found a goose egg on the side of his head. His face stung and he wiped at the different spot not surprised to see blood on his fingers. He used his shirt to clean his face of the blood, sweat and grime and then finally got to his feet. Miller looked around and for a moment he wished he hadn’t have killed Russell because he had no idea where to start. He turned three-hundred-and-sixty-degrees and wanted to scream out in frustration. The whole backyard area of Russell’s place was covered in heaps of soil. Each one looked like a freshly dug grave and he had idea which one contained the missing agent or how to begin. Without realizing it, Miller fell to his knees and screamed out of rage. He was so screwed.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Sanders residence: 06:59:59**

_Darkness surrounded him as Tony pulled his legs up to his chest. He was shivering hard. He had tried to call out, but no one responded. It was as if he was all on his own; everyone else had left. “Jethro!” Tony called out again. “Jethro!” He sniffed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please, I’m sorry!” He sobbed and didn’t even try to hide the large tears that rolled down his cheeks. “Jethro!” Tony screamed and trembled as his own voice echoed back to him. “I’m sorry.” This time he whispered the words and hugged himself tighter. “I’m sorry, please, I’m sorry.”_

Tony’s body jolted in his casket, his foot connected hard against the bottom of his prison repeatedly and hard enough to let in some dirt. Because it was dark, he didn’t notice it, but even worse, because he was so deep into his own head, he didn’t even feel the soil as it spilled in. He didn’t hear the way the Perspex glass creaked, the top slowly giving way as Russell never tested the weight of the soil on top of the casket and as the time progressed, the casket had started to crack. The repeated kicks against the bottom were enough to ensure that a larger crack appeared, making the whole casket unstable.

_A noise made him lift his head from the top of his arms. “Jethro?” Tony’s voice echoed into the darkness again. He received no response back, but managed to get to his feet. He shivered as the soles of his feet touched the cold hard ground beneath him. It was still so dark and he stuck his hands out to feel his way around. “Gibbs?” Tony asked as he shuffled forward, his hands in front of him to make sure he didn’t bump into anything. “Jethro?” Tony banged his hand against what he believed was a wall. It was rough beneath his fingers and cold to the touch. “I’m sorry, please.” He whimpered, but kept on moving. There had to be a way out, if he could only find it. With his hands still stretched out in front of him, he took his next step and screamed as the ground beneath his feet gave way and he felt himself falling, the motion going faster and faster._

Seizures ripped through Tony’s body, arms and legs connecting repeatedly against the sides of his prison. More soil came tumbling in as his body continued thrusting uncontrollably.

_“NO!” Tony screamed as he fell and sobbed hard as he finally landed hard on his hands and knees. “Jethro!” He couldn’t move. He knew he had to get out, but he didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to fall further into nothingness; he was already lost and had no idea how to get back to safety. “Please, Jethro, please, help me.” Tony begged as he pushed himself up. He wasn’t a quitter, and although it was still dark around him, still so cold and although he still felt very alone, he couldn’t give up. Jethro would find him, he just had to make sure he could be found. “Gibbs!” Tony called out again, as he finally got to his feet and used his hands to find a wall or something he could use to move forward. “Please, help me, please.” Tony mumbled as his hands finally struck against something hard again and he moved forward yet again. If it only wasn’t so dark._

Tony’s back arched up, only his feet and the back of his shoulders touched the bottom of the casket for a second, before his body slumped down and Tony curled himself into a small ball, his arm over his head as if he was trying to keep any noise out. In the darkness, the crack that sounded through the enclosed space sounded like a lighting strike and Tony whimpered in fear. It was then that the image on the monitors went blank as the weight on top of the coffin became too much and gave way, filling the tomb with Perspex glass and dirt.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Navy Yard: NCIS 05:11:06**

Gibbs checked his primary weapon and back up weapon again before he holstered them. He reached for the coms-link and placed it in his ear. The bullpen was eerily quiet around him. More than a dozen NCIS agents all checked their weapons, all donned in their Kevlar vests, their faces deprived of any emotion as they readied themselves for the most important rescue mission ever conducted by this office.

Gibbs looked up as Tobias approached him. He growled as his best friend shook his head. “He went AWOL, Tobias?”

Fornell shook his head. “I don’t know where he is.” He couldn’t wait to get his hands on agent Miller; he would personally see to it that the man was fired before this day was out.

Gibbs turned to face Abby and his two junior agents. The three of them had done a terrific job and if all things went the way Abby and McGee said they would, they might have a possible location on Tony. _‘Tony,’_ Gibbs couldn’t help but to look over at the large screen which still showed the countdown timer in the corner though the rest of the screen was black. He balled his fist; his hand still throbbed when he had watched what they all believe was Tony’s coffin giving way under the weight of the ground placed on top of it. Gibbs shook his head and turned away. He couldn’t think of that. Not for one moment could he think about the fact that Tony might be dead. He had to focus on one thing and that was getting Tony – alive.

His eye caught the picture of Russell Rhodes and he found himself growling again. Even after McGee told him what had happened to him, Gibbs could find not an ounce of compassion inside of him to care. Russell had taken Tony, not only from him, but also from his team and family. He had buried him alive just because he didn’t like Gibbs. Gibbs knew he would not hesitate in killing the other man should that opportunity arise. He was actually looking forward to it.

A squeak from Abby pulled his attention back from his dark thoughts. “McGee?” Gibbs asked even as he closed the distance between them.

McGee looked up and Gibbs could see how exhausted his agent was, but it didn’t matter now. Now they had to find Tony. “What do you have?”

“We found the origin from the link, Boss.” McGee grinned. He didn’t explain further, just wrote the address on a piece of paper for Gibbs and called up Google Earth images from the house. He would also get blueprints and would have them when they arrived at their destination. McGee got to his feet as the rest of the agents gathered around. He indicated to the house behind him as he spoke.

“This is the best we have at the moment. We’re still waiting for a satellite to come into orbit for us to get live imagery from the site.” He pointed at the front door and started giving a description of the house. How many possible rooms it would have, etc. By the images on the screen, they knew it was at least a double story home. It would contain a basement and both he and Abby were sure that it would be in that space that they would find Tony. McGee kept his sentences short and to the point. “Any questions?” He asked at the end of his explanation. Receiving none, he donned his weapon, securing his backup as well.

“Let’s move out,” Gibbs voice sounded in the still too quiet room as he stalked out. Vance and Tobias were at his side with McGee just behind them and then the rest of the agents. Gibbs reached the door of his vehicle and snarled when a hand covered his. “What?” He managed to get the word out.

“Shotgun for you,” Director Vance spoke up. “I’m driving; you concentrate on what you’re going to tell Tony when you get him out of there.”

Gibbs’ eyes smoldered, but then he nodded his head and jogged to the other side. He wasn’t surprised to find Tobias in the back already. What did surprise him was Ducky already seated behind the driver. “Ducky?”

“With Bradley out of the country, I am the only physician who knows how to treat Tony’s lungs. I will be on the scene when you pull him out.”

With a nod of his head, Gibbs got into the vehicle. “Let’s get moving, let’s bring Tony home.”

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Sanders residence: 04:48:08**

Miller only became aware of the sirens when they were right in front of him. He didn’t even look up, just kept on digging. He had found the shovel next to the house and after his earlier meltdown, he had started to dig. He only had one thing on his mind and that was to be the hero. To get Agent DiNozzo out alive.

Faintly he heard different car doors slam shut, people running, what sounded like a door being kicked open before more agents came running. The rescue team had split up. Miller had no idea what they were doing inside in the house. Tony was buried outside. He continued to dig. He was not armed. He looked up when what he assumed was a barrel of a pistol was pressed against the back of his head. He managed to let go of the shovel and raised his hands.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Agent Miller?” Fornell’s voice sounded up behind him.

“Doing my job.” Miller lowered his hands and turned to face the older man behind him. “Are you going to stand around, or are you going to help?” He used his hand to show all the graves that surrounded him.

“I’m going to arrest you for dereliction of duty, obstruction of justice and for being a fucking disappointment to the Bureau.” Fornell holstered his weapon and indicated to the two agents next to him to get Miller out of the hole. “You’re a fucking idiot!” He couldn’t help but to scream as Miller stood next to him.

Miller bristled with anger. “I’m doing my job. Agent DiNozzo is here somewhere, we need to find him. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He tried to get out of the hold in which the agents held him.

“Add resisting arrest as well.” Fornell pulled the younger agent against his chest. “IF you were doing your job, you would’ve shared the information you gathered with us. You wouldn’t have gone off on your own to play hero.” Fornell snorted. “You are no hero. You are a fucking fool!”

“NO!” Miller shouted. “I found him. He’s here; we just need to keep digging. He tried to get out of the tight grip of the agents again.

Fornell lost his patience and punched Miller in the face. “If you concentrated on your fucking job instead of running off, you would’ve known that there was a live feed from the premises. Meaning certain electronic equipment should be present. Now tell me, Agent Miller, where the fuck is that equipment?” Fornell grabbed hold of Miller again and shoved him hard so that the man landed on his back. “Tony is not buried out here, but somewhere in there.” Fornell grabbed Miller and pulled him to his feet. “He’s somewhere in that house, most likely in the basement, and should we be too late, I promise you, I will do everything in my power to see you charged with murder.” He let go of the stunned agent and wiped off his hands. “Get him out of my sight.” Fornell didn’t look back, but made his way over to where one of his other agents stood next to the body of their suspect. Before he could make inquiries, the coms-link in his ear burst to life. Not giving a damn anymore, Tobias rushed into the house. Inside he could hear voices, Gibbs’ voice coming from down below. It was not difficult to find the entrance to the basement and he took the stairs down three at a time. What he saw below made him shiver with fear.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Later on Gibbs would not be able to recall how they got into Russell’s home or down to the basement. What he would remember, was the stark white lights that brightened the room in such a manner that he nearly had to squint before his eyes got used to the lights. He noticed several large computer-like stuff lining the wall. McGee would later tell him that those were the different servers Russell used to lead them around by their noses. He then saw the single shovel shoved into the deep darkened soil that covered the floor and then he noticed the large indentation in the ground. He didn’t need to look anywhere else – beneath that soil lay the reason he existed. What stood out and what would stay with him in many of the nightmares that would follow was the single black and white photo in an old frame, placed on the desk showing a strict look woman with a young boy next to her. He didn’t touch the frame or the photo, but the picture was stuck in his mind for a very long time. The one other thing he saw, but he didn’t dare look at it was the same image they’d seen in the bullpen. It was the darkened interior of where Tony was trapped.

Not caring what any of the others around him were doing, Gibbs grabbed hold of the shovel and started clearing the area of the soil. He was aware that both Ducky and Leon spoke to him, but their words didn’t make sense. Instead, he continued to dig into the ground to get the soil out. To get Tony out. He snarled when someone tackled him from the side as both of them landed hard to the side of the room.

“Boss, please, stop, please.” Gibbs heard the words, but it didn’t matter. He would not be separated from Tony any longer, and no one – not even McGee would stop him now. He reached back to deliver another punch, but was grabbed from behind and found himself on the ground again. This time it was Tobias on top of him. His oldest friend knew him well and managed to pin him to the ground, Gibbs was unable to throw Tobias off him.

“We don’t know if the ground is stable enough. We all want him out, Gibbs but we can’t risk it. Not until we know how stable things are.” Tobias kept on saying the same thing repeatedly until finally Gibbs went limp beneath him and he moved to the side. He heard the commotion in his link and knew he had to get down there. Tobias looked over at Timothy. The younger man’s nose was bloody, but otherwise, he looked fine.

“What do we need to do?” Gibbs’ voice sounded gruff.

McGee wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. “I’ve already contacted a friend of mine. He’s a structural engineer.” McGee looked around. “We don’t know if the casket Tony is in gave way because the soil was too heavy, or if there’s another problem here. We need to make sure. Please, Gibbs. I know you want Tony out, we all do. But it would not help him if we all got buried in here because the whole building collapsed.”

Gibbs gasped for air as his lungs refused to take in enough oxygen to breath deep but he nodded his head. “How long?” He finally managed to get the question out.

“He’s about five minutes out.” McGee replied as he sank to his knees next to his boss. He didn’t say another word, but just looked at the disturbed soil in front of him, the sunken part so clearly visible to the naked eye and he couldn’t help but to wonder if they were not too late.

Bishop’s voice to the side brought them all out of their stupor. “I found the oxygen tank.” She indicated to the large cylinder tucked in between two steel cabinets. “There’s still oxygen in it.” She smiled.

Gibbs managed to get to his feet and made his way over. “Still about a quarter of the bottle left.” He found the nozzle with the pipe attached to it and followed it with his eyes until it disappeared beneath the earth. He wanted to do more than follow it with his eyes. He wanted to go and dig right there where it disappeared into the earth. It was like a beacon, it showed them exactly where Tony was, but he stayed put. He had to.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Tony’s grave: 04:00:00**

The earth moving around him made him aware of things around him. His whole body ached and he gasped for air as his lungs contracted not giving him the air he so desperately needed to stay alive. Tony frowned, for a moment he had no idea where he was before his memories caught up yet again and he wished they hadn’t. They threatened to overrun his mind, to take him back to that dark place which scared Tony even more, although he also felt safe in there. Nothing could get to him there – except his own fears and they did. Tony had to force his body to remain still as he continued to feel the vibrations through the earth above him. Something was pressing down on him from the top. He finally managed to get his breathing under control, wiggled the fingers of his left hand and realized why it felt as there was something on top of him. His casket had given way. He could feel the soil beneath his fingers. His chest tightened again and he nearly panicked when he tried to move his hand to his face and found that he could not. That was until he felt his right arm over his face. Against his arm, there was something else. He couldn’t comprehend what it was, but it pressed against his chest, making it difficult to breath, but at the same time, he realized that there was no soil, no dirt on his face. It was then that Tony realized part of the casket was on top of him, keeping the soil from his face. He could still breathe. He wondered if he should call out to Russell, but his abductor never answered any of his pleas, so he couldn’t think that this time around it would be any different. A shudder went through the earth and the casket, making the part of the casket he was pinned under move and Tony screamed. He could feel how it pressed in against the sternum, the pain unbearable, as if the bone in his chest would give way any second. “Stop, Russell, fuck, stop!!” Tony couldn’t help but to scream, the pressure on his chest becoming even more and then he heard something like a _pop_ and the sternum bone in the middle of his chest gave way. It took Tony’s breath away before the pain kicked in. It left Tony once again gasping for air as more of the dirt filled his tomb. He panicked, and soon he could get no air into his lungs. His eyes rolled over and he went limp.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Basement: 03:47:04**

Gibbs wanted to scream out of frustration. It had been an hour since they found Tony’s grave in the basement, and they were no closer to digging him out than what they were an hour earlier. McGee’s friend had arrived, looked around, wanted to see blueprints of the place, which for one or other reason McGee still didn’t have. The guy wanted to know with what type of soil they were dealing with and other things that Gibbs was not interested in at all. He only wanted to get Tony out. The earth around the sunken in portion had shifted again, not very much, but they all saw and felt it and he didn’t even want to think about possible sinkholes. It was clear that the whole area was unstable.

Finally, McGee looked up from where he and the engineer talked and smiled. Gibbs didn’t even wait, just grabbed the shovel and started shoveling the loose earth away. He had no idea where Tobias or Vance got the extra shovels but when he looked up, both of them were right there next to him.

“Six feet?” Tobias spoke up next to him as they moved layer by layer of the soil.

“Think so.” Gibb didn’t stop digging, but indicated to the pulley system standing to the side.

“So there might still be a rope or something tied around the casket we can use.” Vance shoveled faster.

Gibbs didn’t reply. It didn’t matter to him _how_ they got Tony out, only that they got him out. They kept on shoveling and digging deeper into the earth and then when he pushed the shovel into the dirt, it struck something solid. The two men next to him stopped digging. Gibbs slowly lifted the shovel out of the ground and then pushed it back again. He got the same result.

McGee appeared above them, the engineer next to him. “Slowly now,” the man advised.

Gibbs used the shovel and started scraping some of the soil to the side where Tobias then scooped it up and tossed it out of the hole they were standing in. Hearing the hardened noise better, Gibbs passed his shovel to Vance and got onto his knees. Without hesitating a moment, he started brushing the dirt away with his hands. He could hear Ducky talking; giving instructions to someone - most likely the EMTs and other emergency personnel that arrived on the scene shortly after they did. Gibbs tuned everything out around him and concentrated on his task.

He couldn’t help but to sigh in relief when he finally brushed the last dirt away and found a piece of the coffin beneath his hand. Gibbs frowned, something was wrong. It took his mind a moment to catch up with what his eyes were seeing. “No!” His voice was gruff as his hands started working faster. He was aware of Tobias helping him. Vance’s voice sounded strange in his ears as the director indicated to the rest of the people what they’ve found.

They have uncovered the bottom end of the coffin, only the left corner still in one piece, the rest of the top had cracked and snapped apart and the dirt filled the casket with dirt. “Tony,” Gibbs muttered as he worked upwards, scooping dirt out with his hands. He skipped the torso as his eyes landed on where Tony’s head was supposed to be. There was a mountain of dirt that covered Tony’s chest and head, but it looked strange. Gibbs didn’t care as he started to clear the dirt away. He was aware of the fact that he kept on mumbling Tony’s name, but he couldn’t stop. When he removed the dirt and saw what lay underneath his legs threatened to give way.

A piece of the broken top looked like it was imbedded in Tony’s chest. His partner’s arm over his head was the first thing Gibbs saw as Tobias cleared the last dirt from the top of the lid. Tony’s head was trapped inside the coffin, clear of any soil, but Gibbs still had no idea if Tony could breathe.

He gently touched Tony’s left wrist, which now lay uncovered. His hands shook so much that at first he couldn’t feel a pulse. His eyes never left Tony’s chest as he tried to figure out if Tony was breathing. It felt like it took a lifetime before he felt the pulse beneath his fingertips and he must’ve taken a dozen breaths himself before he finally saw Tony’s chest rising up.

“Is he alive?” Tobias broke the silence that surrounded them.

Gibbs couldn’t get the words out, but finally managed to nod his head. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and Gibbs managed to look up when Ducky spoke from above him.

“Don’t move anything further, Jethro.” He indicated with his hand at the broken part of the lid that kept Tony imprisoned.

Gibbs nodded and looked on as both Vance and Tobias climbed out of the hole and extended their arms to help him out. He had no idea what to do.

“Let’s get you out of there so that the medics can do their work.” Tobias kept his voice low, but kept his gaze on Gibbs and his arm stretched out. He waited patiently for his friend to reach up before he pulled him out. Tobias knew he wouldn’t be able to get Gibbs away from the open grave so he let him be, but stayed close should Gibbs need him in any way.

Gibbs looked on as two medics and two people from fire and rescue got into the hole and started to assess Tony’s condition. He wanted to ask them so many questions, but they were stuck in his throat and he could only look on. Later on he would remember just how efficient they’d been as it didn’t take them long at all to get Tony out of his grave. They decided not to use the pulley system in the end. One of the medics held the piece of Perspex in place as they with the rest of the team in the basement managed finally to lift Tony out and in a blur they had him up the stairs and out of the basement and house.

“Let’s go.” Tobias slapped Gibbs on the shoulder and then they got into motion as well. They’d found Tony. He was breathing and he had a pulse. It wasn’t nearly enough to stop Gibbs from worrying, but it was enough to give him hope.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Bethesda Hospital ICU: 3 days later**

Tobias sighed as he took in the haggard appearance of his best friend. He didn’t need to look to see what Gibbs was staring at; the same thing they all stared at – Tony. It was not as if they wanted to, but they just couldn’t help it. He was alive; pretty banged up, but alive. Tobias had a feeling that they all stared because they were afraid that if they blinked, or even just looked away for a second or two, Tony would disappear.

His eye caught the massive bruise that was visible on Tony’s chest just above the collar of his hospital gown. Gibbs had told him that it almost covered the whole of Tony’s upper chest. However, it was that bruise, which for all purposes, was there to show them that Tony was still with them. Although _how_ Tony was with them, was difficult to say.

He was bruised and dehydrated. Not only from the fight with Russell before he was kidnapped, but also from his struggle to get out of the Perspex coffin. Tony had a sternal fracture, the bone had given away due to the weight of the soil on top of him and the way on which the Perspex cover broke and pressed into Tony’s chest. The medical personnel were keeping an eye on his breathing as the x-rays did show some bruising in the lungs. He had a concussion and they were keeping a close eye on the pressure in his brain as he remained disorientated and couldn’t stay awake for long periods. His right hand had split open on the outside of the pinky up to the wrist as he banged it against the sides to get out. The left pinky was broken and that wrist was sprained. His whole body was covered in different bite marks, as it seemed like the insects in the soil loved the taste of Tony DiNozzo. One or other _thing_ had burrowed in beneath Tony’s skin and laid its eggs there. Luckily, Ducky had spotted it the day before and it was cleaned out. The medical personnel were of the opinion that Tony would recover completely; at least physically. Mentally was a different ball game.

The first twenty-four hours after Tony had been rescued could be described as the calm before the storm-period. Yes, Gibbs was in a foul mood, not only because of Tony’s condition, but because Russell was dead and because of Agent Miller. Tobias couldn’t help but to growl as he thought about the other agent. The man had a good investigative head on his shoulders, but he was more interested in climbing the political ladder than anything else. If he hadn’t keep what he’d found out for himself, they would’ve found Tony hours earlier.

Tony had been unconscious for approximately seven hours after being admitted when he finally woke up for the first time. It was not a gentle waking; instead, Tony woke up fighting and screaming. Not even Gibbs could manage to get the younger man to calm down and he had to be sedated. He also had to be taken for x-rays because they were concerned that any of the bones might have shifted when Tony fought them. Neither the second nor the third time Tony woke up was any different from the first. Gibbs growled and yelled when they shackled Tony with soft restraints to the bed as it heightened Tony’s fear of not being able to move. Only after they had spoken to Dr. Rachel Cranston were the restraints removed.

Tony finally woke up calmly just as the sun set on the second day and it was then that they realized just how traumatic things had been for the special agent. He had woken up but was in, what Dr. Cranston described as a fugue state - he was awake, but he gave no indication that he knew what was going on around him. He made no eye contact and it didn’t even seem like he blinked. The vacant stare Tony had in his eyes was downright scary. They were keeping him drugged to the gills, fearing that the bruising in his lungs could lead to pneumonia because of the previous scaring he had after the plague.

Finally, Tobias managed to step into the room. At first, it looked like Gibbs had nodded off as he stood and watched, but then Gibbs sighed.

“They’re talking about a home, Tobias. The doctors feel that if Tony doesn’t improve in the next few weeks, the chances of him recovering are slim. They want me to consider my options. They want me to let him go as they _feel_ it would be the best for him. He would get better care.”

Tobias cocked his head. “They don’t know Tony, now do they?” He didn’t even have to say that he didn’t agree. For any other person that sort of an option might work, but not for Tony, and definitely not for Gibbs. “The fact that you’re still sitting here makes me want to say you stared them to death.”

Gibbs snorted. “Ducky was present. Before I could even open my mouth, he already had them out of the door.” He looked up at his best friend. “And, Tony stopped me.”

Tobias let his gaze settle on Tony. “What happened?”

“I tried to leave.”

A frown appeared on Tobias’ face. “You tried to leave? I don’t understand.”

“When the doctors came in and started talking about Tony and his _future needs_ , I wanted to strangle them. I wanted to follow Ducky out of the room to do just that, but the moment I stood up, he grabbed my wrist. There was no change in his facial expression, but the grip he had on my wrist, meant only one thing. He wanted me to stay.”

“What did the doctors say?” Tobias moved towards the bed and placed his hand on Tony’s ankle, covered with the bed sheet.

“They don’t know. I didn’t say a word and they didn’t see a thing. I don’t think Tony would appreciate being prodded again.” Both men looked at Tony as the man uttered a grunt as if he agreed.

“Tony?” Gibbs brushed a stray hair out of Tony’s face. “You ready to wake up?”

Tobias found himself holding his breath, but Tony remained silent and motionless. He looked as Gibbs’ shoulders slumped and his friend leaned back into the hard plastic chair. “He’ll come back, Jethro. You know he will.”

Gibbs nodded his head but remained silent. “Can you sit with him for a moment, I need to use the bathroom.” He indicated with his head to the interconnecting door to the side.

“Sure,” Tobias responded and kept his hand on Tony’s ankle. He looked as Gibbs kissed Tony on the forehead before moving away. For a moment, he thought Tony was going to grab Gibbs’ hand, but he remained motionless. Tobias waited for Gibbs to close the door behind him before he spoke.

“You need to wake up, kid. Gibbs is in quite a state. I’ve not seen him like this since,” Tobias swallowed. “Well, since Shannon and Kelly died. I know he did something – again, but you know as well as I do, that he loves you, Tony. Some days I think he loves you more than he did Shannon. Don’t get me wrong, he still loves her, and he always will, but he’s actually been with you longer than he’d been with Shannon and that has to tell you something. So, get better. We’re here for you.” He squeezed Tony’s ankle just as he heard the toilet flush before the faucet opened up and a few moments later the door opened and Gibbs stepped out.

“When was the last time you ate?” Tobias enquired as Gibbs took his seat again.

“Not hungry.” Gibbs mumbled, and dragged his hand over his face.

“Wrong answer.” Tobias sighed. “That deli you like is not far from here. I’ll go and get you a sandwich.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but turned and left the room. He couldn’t do anything to get Tony to wake up quicker, but at least he could make sure his friend got some food into him and not only that sludge he drank and called coffee.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Gibbs looked on as Tobias left the room just as silently as when he entered it. He was aware of the fact that Tobias observed them for a while before he stepped into Tony’s room. A small smile appeared on his face. Tobias was a good friend.

He reached out and took Tony’s hand in his. “I couldn’t help overhear when Tobias spoke to you.” Gibbs grinned. “He still calls you ‘kid’ even after all these years.” Gibbs shook his head. “He’s right, you know. I do love you more than I ever loved Shannon.” He bowed his head and stayed silent for a long time. “I felt so guilty about it for a long time. It felt to me as if I was cheating on her and on Kelly. I know I wasn’t, but in my mind - in there it was a different ballgame. But, I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t cheating on her. I was cheating on you. I had to stop living in the past. I had to start living in the present, because that’s where you are. I love you Anthony DiNozzo.” Gibbs leaned in and kissed Tony on the forehead again. “Come back to me, Tony. Please.” He whispered the last word against Tony’s skin.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He did not attempt to find out either. He didn’t want to. He was scared shitless and therefore it was much easier to stay right there where there were no sounds, no lights and the space around him filled with nothing else except himself.

Unfortunately, things did change. He could feel someone, or something prodding at him, wanting to make him do things that he didn’t want to. He found it extremely easy to ignore those prods. At least whatever wanted his attention realized it wasn’t getting it and the prodding stopped. An ache somewhere pulsed deep, it felt as if it was part of him and it wanted to make him move, but he shoved it down. This was _his_ place, and nothing else was going to interfere with him here.

Gradually he became aware that it was lighter around him than he initially thought. At first, it irritated him, but there was something out there, something that kept him right there. He also became aware of rumblings. He had no idea what it meant, but it was in different tones, some pitched higher than the others but one remained constant. Even as the light dimmed around him, the one rumbling sound stayed with him. It made him feel alive in an odd way, because he wasn’t sure if he was alive. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be alive.

Something has changed. It was as if the darkness that was once just spotted with some light had receded and had become even brighter. He still couldn’t make things out, but he was sure things had changed. There was less prodding, but more rumbling and he hated it, especially if it was not the rumbling he had become used to. Then the rumbling tried to leave. He couldn’t see it leave, but it moved and he could feel the bond between them stretch. It made him feel weird, he hated the feeling and he knew he had to stop it from leaving so he took a chance. He reached out, not aware of what he was doing as instinct took over and he felt the jolt of energy pass through him as he made contact with the rumbling and it stayed. It made him feel calmer more focused in a weird sense as he had a suspicion that he was anything but focused.

It was another rumbling that caught his attention. Definitely not the same as the one he came to recognize, but still not irritating as the others. It was continuing to ramble on as if he had to understand what it was going on about. It made him frustrated and he concentrated hard. If he could only understand what the rumbling was about. He made out what he supposed were words, it sounded like _‘love’_ , _‘kid’_ , _‘care’_. They didn’t make sense and it made him feel frustrated, but before he could become uncomfortable about it, _his_ rumble was back and things were better. That was until things became louder and once again what he assumed were words penetrated into his space. _‘Love’_ , _‘come back’_ , _‘Tony’_. It was the last rumble – word that got to him. Tony he knew that rumble, no, not a rumble, a word. _His_ name. _Tony_ , his name was Tony. He was alive and the rumble he heard, that was Gibbs – Jethro. He loved his rumble, he loved Jethro and then he felt himself blink and everything shifted into focus.

“Jethro?” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. He looked on as the man he loved eyes grew huge before a smile appeared on his face, but within mere seconds replaced by something he couldn’t quite make out.

“Jethro?” Tony asked again, fear lacing his voice. He had no idea if he’d done something wrong. He tried to remember the last conversation he had with the other man, but it was hazy, and as he tried to focus on it, it would almost jump back just out of his reach. He had to say something; he had to make things better.

When the different monitors that surrounded Tony, started moaning, Gibbs realized that something was wrong. He was so lost in thought, trying to find the words to explain, even to go as far as to apologize, that he didn’t notice that Tony was distraught. “Easy, Tony,” Gibbs placed a bracing hand on his shoulder, being careful of his numerous injuries. “You’re going to be all right.”

Tony felt Gibbs’ hand on his shoulder and could hear him, but it was as if his brain was refusing to relay the message to his body and quickly he found himself spiraling out of control. Gibbs’ voice sounded louder, but he still couldn’t comprehend what the man was saying to him. Tony shook his head and tried to talk, but the words didn’t want to come out, and he screamed. People came running and it made him feel boxed in and he tried to get away. Someone pushed Gibbs out of the door and it made Tony see red. He might not have an idea what he did wrong, and why Gibbs was angry with him, but no one, no one had the right to separate him from his partner. His panic switched to rage and he started using his fists to get away from the grabbing hands. He didn’t care that it felt as if he was drowning in the pain, he just had to get to Jethro. He had to find out what he did wrong.

He growled as someone managed to stick something sharp into his bicep, but even as he tried to take another swing, darkness descended suddenly and he went limp. Hands placed him back in bed and then Tony knew nothing more.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

**Bethesda Hospital ICU: 12 hours later**

“Tony?” Gibbs’ voice held hope as Tony’s eyes finally fluttered open. For a moment, Tony looked confused, but then his gaze settled and he smiled. Gibbs couldn’t help but to sigh. “You with me?”

“Gibbs?” Tony cleared his throat and tried again. “Jethro?” He looked around and frowned. “Hospital?”

“You want some water?” Gibbs asked as he ignored Tony’s last question for a moment. He smiled as Tony smacked his lips together and he held the small cup with a straw for Tony to take his fill. “Not too much, don’t want you to get ill.” Gibbs placed the cup back on the side table and rested his hand on top of Tony’s. “Yes, you are in Bethesda, almost four days now.”

Tony frowned at the information. “What happened?” He opted to ask after a minute of silence.

Gibbs had to do everything in his power not to cringe at Tony’s question. Both Ducky and Dr. Cranston had warned him that Tony might have some memory problems, as his mind tried to protect him from the traumatic events he went through. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Once again, Tony remained quiet, but Gibbs could almost see the gears turning in Tony’s head as his partner tried to piece things together. When Tony’s eyes grew large and he trembled slightly, Gibbs grabbed hold of his hand. He wasn’t going to let Tony go off into a state of panic again. Once was enough.

“You’re safe, Tony, just look at me, you’re safe.” Gibbs squeezed Tony’s hand hard in a countermeasure action to keep Tony in the present. He smiled when Tony’s eyes snapped to his face and looked straight at him. “You’re safe, I promise you. I’ve got your six.” Gibbs smiled when Tony nodded his head and he squeezed Tony’s hand in reassurance. “You doing all right?”

“I was so scared.” Tony closed his eyes and shivers passed through his body, but his eyes quickly snapped open. “Too dark,” he shook his head as a look of confusion appeared. “Why, Jethro?”

Gibbs squeezed Tony’s hand again. “You’re safe now.” He had to repeat the words, not only for Tony’s benefit, but also for himself. “As for why?” Gibbs lowered his head. Both Ducky and Dr. Cranston tried to convince him that none of this was his fault, but it was. They’d found different journals Russell wrote, depicting different things, but a large portion of his writings were about Tony. It seemed like he had a crush on Tony for a long time. When he became aware of Tony’s relationship with Gibbs, the writings became darker; he found fault with everything Gibbs did, feeling that Gibbs didn’t deserve Tony. Gibbs read each entry in the time he sat next to Tony’s bed and even though he didn’t agree with Russell’s method of doing things, he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that most of what Russell had written was indeed the truth. Now Tony wanted to know why, and Gibbs had no idea if he was strong enough to admit that he was at fault. His mind conjured up scenarios where he would admit his guilt and Tony would leave him, not wanting to see him ever again. Even going so far as to resign from NCIS to get away from Gibbs.

“Jethro?” Tony asked softly. “What’s going on?” He tried to decipher the expression on Gibbs’ face, but found out that he couldn’t. Tony frowned; it almost felt like it happened before.

“I’m sorry.” Gibbs voice was soft, his head bowed – he wasn’t able to look Tony in the eyes.

“I don’t understand, what are you sorry about?” Tony sounded confused.

“Why? The answer is simple - it’s because of me. Of how I treated you, that’s why.” Gibbs snapped out and sighed. “Sorry.” He grunted as an unexpected slap landed on the back of his head. “What was that for?” He actually looked up as he rubbed his head.

“That’s for being a fool.” Tony’s cheeks were a flaming red and he bristled with anger. “You always treat me with the utmost respect, and you love me even more. So stop that nonsense.”

Gibbs straightened his back. “I don’t treat you with respect, Tony. I slap you on the back of the head. I yell at you, I expect the impossible from you, at least once a week. So yes, Russell was right.” He tried to explain further, but Tony placed his hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking up.

“Your words are true, but not like you put them. You always respect me, even when you slap me on the back of the head. You do it because you know I need that. I need to stay focused sometimes and although some of them hurt more than others, you never do it out of malice.” Tony took a deep breath. “The impossible you seek from me is to make sure we keep on fighting and never give up. To solve the case, to make sure we save the innocents and catch the guilty.” A smile appeared on Tony’s face. “As for yelling, hell, Jethro, I yell just as loud, or are you now saying I’m not respecting you?” Tony sighed. He was feeling tired again, the realms of sleep calling out, but he didn’t want to go back to sleep until they got this sorted out. He closed his eyes for a second.

Gibbs gently removed Tony’s hand from his mouth. “I hear you, Tony but it’s difficult.” He didn’t want to go into detail on what Russell had written down. That would come later. Now it was time to address their fight. He looked up and smiled. Tony had drifted off to sleep again. Gibbs pulled the sheet to cover Tony and leaned back in the chair. He would get some shuteye himself while Tony dozed off.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

It was the sound of harsh breathing and the rustling of sheets that woke Gibbs up. He quickly got up when he saw Tony gripped in what appeared to be a nightmare. “Easy, Love, it’s just a dream, you’re safe.” He kept on with the same words, all the while he kept on stroking Tony’s hair. Finally, after what like hours, Tony calmed down. Gibbs looked on as Tony settled down, and went back to sleep. Only as he stood back, he realized that there was someone at the door. “Ducky.” He greeted his friend and made his way over to the door.

“Jethro,” Ducky looked over to where Tony was now sleeping peacefully again. “I am sorry that I have not been here. Agent Balboa’s team caught a nasty case which kept me busy.”

“I understand, Duck.” Gibbs stepped out of the room, but stopped just outside to be able to keep an eye on Tony.

“I hear our boy finally woke up. How is Anthony doing? And how are you holding up?” Ducky took in Gibbs’ appearance. It was clear that the man once again hadn’t gone home, as his clothes were a rumpled.

Gibbs didn’t know where to start. “He’s awake, he’s talking but he’s struggling as well. When he first woke up he had some sort of a panic attack, they had to sedate him. He remembered what happened, but I don’t think he remembers the fight we had before this whole fuckup.”

“And you are scared that when he does remember that the two of you fought, he is going to leave you.” Ducky summarized Gibbs’ internal struggle perfectly.

Gibbs merely grunted. He should’ve known Ducky would see right through him. “He’s having nightmares.”

Ducky ignored the not so subtle change of the subject, knowing very well how uncomfortable Gibbs got in speaking about his own problems and emotions. “I would’ve been surprised if he didn’t have nightmares, or problems sleeping.” He looked at Gibbs. “Do you think he will talk to Dr. Cranston?”

Gibbs shrugged. “He likes her, he might.”

Ducky nodded. “It would be for the best.” He cleared his throat. “It wouldn’t hurt if both of you talked to her.”

Gibbs looked at Ducky. He knew his friend had a point – a valid one at that, but it was still difficult for him to talk to someone about what was going on in his mind. Still, seeing what Russell did, reading what he thought about the relationship between himself and Tony - it placed things in a different perspective, one that he need to look at.

“You don’t need to make a decision now, Jethro.” Ducky smiled. “Let’s go and see how Tony is doing.” He slapped Gibbs’ shoulder and entered Tony’s room. “My boy, you are awake. How are you feeling?” Without slowing down, Ducky took Tony’s chart and paged through it.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Tony overheard the conversation between Gibbs and Ducky. He couldn’t believe that Gibbs would believe that he would leave him because of a silly fight. He wouldn’t do that. It bothered him that Gibbs would think something like that. He looked on as the two men continued talking.

The argument between himself and Gibbs was still faint. He couldn’t remember everything, but he knew it was heated. He gingerly reached out to the back of his head. He could remember Gibbs slamming him into the wall, and that there was blood, but he couldn’t remember what the argument was about. Tony tried to remember, but the memory stayed out of his grasp. What he did remember, however, made him gasp for air.

_He’d stepped out of the shower and dressed in sweatpants and an old t-shirt of Gibbs when there was a knock on the door. He’d found it strange as no one knocked before entering. He’d made his way down and opened the door. He frowned when he saw Russell standing outside._

_“Everything all right, Russell?” He’d greeted the bigger man and indicated with his head for Russell to step inside._

_“I came to pick you up, Agent DiNozzo.” Russell sounded tense._

_Tony frowned. “What’s going on, Russell? Has something happened to Agent Gibbs? Something wrong at HQ?” He looked down at his feet- they were still bare._

_Russell shook his head. “Everything is fine, but you need to come with me.” He made a grab for Tony’s arm, but Tony sidestepped him._

_“What’s going on, Russell?” Tony kept his distance from the man in front of him. Something was wrong about the whole situation and he wanted to slap himself on the back of the head for not bringing his weapon down with him._

_Russell became agitated and paced the hallway. “No, No, you need to come with me. You have to understand, it’s important.”_

_“Russell, you’re not making sense. What is important, why do I need to come with you?” Tony tried to remain calm, not wanting to upset the man any more than what he seemed to be already. He steadily tried to move their conversation towards the living room. There was a weapon stashed there._

_Russell shook his head. “NO! We need to go, now. Before he comes back.” He reached out for Tony again._

_This time Tony didn’t just step back, but moved into a defensive stance. “I think it’s time you left, Russell.” The bigger man closed the distance between them and reached out for Tony again. Realizing that talking was not going to work, Tony attacked and punched the archive clerk square on the jaw. He wanted him to go down so that he could restrain him. With what, he had no idea. Russell staggered back at the impact of the punch, but it didn’t make him back down. Instead, he went on the attack and soon both men were fighting hard._

_Tony got in more than one shot, but his head was killing him, and Russell seemed to have had some training in hand to hand combat as he managed to keep up with Tony, landing his own punches and moving fast enough out of Tony’s reach for some of the more heavier blows Tony tried to land._

_The hallway and living room took some serious hits as well. Tony dodged another fist coming his way and found himself in the dining room. He growled as the picture of him and Gibbs tumbled to the floor, the glass shattering on impact. He moved into Russell’s space and landed a big uppercut, making the man stagger back, but he didn’t realize just how quick Russell could be when the man grabbed hold of him as h0l stumbled back. He had grabbed onto Tony’s shirt, which made Tony stumble. The previous hit to the head and the exhaustion of the fight he was in was too much and before Tony could brace himself, he landed with the side his head banging against the table. He was dimly aware of the chair that crashed to the floor next to him, before everything around him went dark._

“Tony?” A voice filled with concern finally brought him back to the present. He looked up into the worried faces of both Jethro and Ducky.

“He wanted me to go with him. I tried to get him to leave, but he wouldn’t. Russell kept on moving forward, even when I decked him one, he didn’t stop. We fought, but I stumbled. I hit my head.” Tony didn’t add the reason why he stumbled, not wanting Gibbs to feel even guiltier. Instead, he reached for the spot again and Tony looked up as another hand curled around his, stopping him from touching the injury again. Tony watched as Gibbs kissed his knuckles, but kept his hand encircled with his. “We also fought. I was angry with you.”

Gibbs lowered his eyes, but his head snapped up as Tony kept on talking.

“You’re crazy if you’re thinking I’ll be walking out on you just because of an argument. It’s not the first time that we’ve argued, Jethro, and knowing us, it won’t be the last. I wanted to go after you even before you shut the door behind you, but I knew you had to calm down. I had to calm down. We’ve been through too much, Jethro for me to now throw in the towel because of a simple argument.” Tony closed his eyes - his head was throbbing again.

Gibbs had no idea what to say. Once again he was reminded of the fact of just how special Tony was and realized how fortunate he was to have the younger man as his partner. “We had to calm down; I got drunk, ended up at Tobias’ place. If I didn’t…”

Tony shook his head. “No, if he didn’t come for me then, he would’ve done it somewhere else. He wanted me, and he wouldn’t have stopped until he got me.” Tony sighed. “I just don’t know why. It still doesn’t make sense.”

Gibbs looked over at Ducky and as the older man nodded, he spoke up. “I’m not going to tell you everything now, except to say that the man had more than one screw loose in his head. He was _testing_ our love for one another. If I found you in time, it would mean that we’re destined to be together. If you died, well then we failed.”

Tony grinned and he could see by the look on Gibbs’ face that the man was confused by his reaction. “You’re right, you can tell me later, but hear this, Gibbs – you found me – in time. I think _that_ is proof enough that we _do_ belong together.”

Ducky cleared his throat. “And there is my cue to leave. I will come back in the morning, Anthony. Get some rest.” He turned to Gibbs. “Walk this old man out, would you.” He didn’t give Gibbs time to reply, but took hold of Gibbs’ arm and pulled him out with him.

Gibbs rolled his eyes for Tony to see and helped Ducky out of the room. “You don’t have to say it, Duck.”

Ducky grinned. “Then I will not. Take care of Anthony, Jethro. He may be on the mend, but he is far from hundred percent. It will take a while before he is our Anthony again.” He slapped Gibbs on the shoulder and walked away.

Gibbs stared at Ducky’s disappearing figure, a smile on his face. It was time he came clean and told Tony what he was hiding from him. It was time to reveal the big secret.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Two months later**

Gibbs couldn’t help grinning as he saw how excited Tony was. His lover paced their hotel room in an attempt to get rid of the abundance of energy he’d seem to have at the moment. “You’re going to have to pay for that.” Gibbs smiled as Tony’s eyes landed on him and a frown appeared on his face.

“I’m not doing anything.” He looked confused.

“You’re going to walk that carpet through, Tony. I don’t think the hotel is going to like that very much.” Gibbs got up from the bed and walked over to where Tony stood. “We’ll get some breakfast first and then go and get it.” He pulled on Tony’s hand and was surprised when Tony didn’t move.

“It?” Tony shook his head. “It’s not an _‘it’_ , Jethro.” He huffed and then followed Gibbs to the bed where he sat down. “Of course you know it’s not an it, you’re just messing with me. But, she’s going to be awesome, and I can’t understand why we have to wait before we can go and collect her. Unless she was stolen.” His eyes grew large. “Was she stolen, Jethro? Maybe she was stolen. You know, it was on the news a week or what back, that a Ferrari that was stolen twenty-eight years ago, was found just as it was supposed to be shipped abroad.” Tony got to his feet and started pacing again. “Are you sure she was not stolen, Jethro?” A sort of a yelp escaped from his lips as Gibbs pulled him back to the bed and un-ceremonially dropped him on the bed before getting on top of him and pinning him down.

Gibbs’ famous stare decorated his face. “She was not stolen, DiNozzo.”

Tony gulped. “You’re right, Boss, she’s not stolen.” He sighed and his whole body relaxed beneath Gibbs’.

Gibbs traced the fine lines that decorated Tony’s face. His partner was no longer the young detective that tackled him to the ground all those years ago in Baltimore, but he matured well. Gibbs smiled. Tony still went at everything at a hundred-and-ten percent. It didn’t matter what the task was, if Tony set his mind to it, it would be done and it would be done perfectly. It was the same this time around. Tony’s body healed quickly, but the torture in his mind took a bit longer. In the hospital, none of them noticed that it was never entirely dark, so no one thought of the fact that Tony might freak out about something as simple as being in the dark. They were proven wrong that first night Tony went home. During the first week, the bathroom light, the main switch in their room, plus the side lamps and the hallway light had to be on before Tony would even be able to relax enough to sleep. Now, they were down to just having the hallway light on. Here at the hotel, they left the bedroom door wide open and the large lamp in the sitting room was left on.

Tony no longer used the elevator. It didn’t matter how many floors there were, he used the stairs. Once again, they found it out the hard way, but it was in any case healthier to use the stairs so it was no problem. Gibbs had also taken Ducky up on his advice and he, together with Tony spoke to Dr. Cranston about their problems. Tony saw her at least once a week, and they saw her together twice. It was slow going, but they were hashing things out, and truth be told, they were no closer to each other than ever before.

“What are you thinking of?” Tony’s voice broke through his thoughts.

Gibbs gave a lopsided smile and bent forward, catching Tony’s bottom lip and biting into it. “You, how far you’ve come, us.” Gibbs replied when he released the pressure on Tony’s lip. He smiled like a Cheshire cat when he felt Tony’s arousal. “You’re an extraordinary man, Anthony DiNozzo.” Gibbs punctuated his words with hard kisses on Tony’s lips.

Tony was at a loss for words. He still found it difficult to talk about everything that has happened, even with Gibbs. It surprised him again and again, just how patient Gibbs had become with him. “You’re the amazing one, Gibbs. I love you.” Tony leaned forward and caught Gibbs’ mouth in a searing kiss. Both men groaned and intensified the kiss even more.

Gibbs turned their bodies so that Tony was on top of them, his hands travelling to Tony’s ass, squeezing the round globes between them as he pressed his hips upwards to grind against Tony’s hard cock. He himself was as hard as nails. “Want you,” Gibbs grinded up again and shivered at the sounds that emanated from Tony.

“You gonna ride me?” Gibbs asked as his fingers found the buttons on Tony’s shirt. He was thankful that Tony was only dressed in shirt and a pair of jeans; it would be easy to rid his lover of his layers.

“Fuck,” Tony shivered as his own hands started roaming all over Gibbs. He had less patience and only shrugged his shoulders as he ripped Gibbs’ shirt so that the buttons shot in different directions. He didn’t even give his lover the chance to sit up before he got hold of the hem of Gibbs’ t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Tony didn’t even bother with getting off Gibbs; instead, he shimmied down and tackled Gibbs’ jeans.

Gibbs groaned as Tony’s mouth found his cock through his underwear. Tony sucked at the head, leaving a damp spot on the material before he bunched Gibbs’ jeans down to his ankles and after mouthing at Gibbs’ cock again, he pulled the underwear down as well.

“Mine,” Tony growled and took his lover’s cock into his mouth, deep throating him on the first downward motion, moaning as the thick organ filled his mouth and throat, robbing him of the air he needed to breathe. Tony couldn’t be bothered, he needed this, he wanted this. He sucked and hollowed his cheeks; he licked at the underside of the cock. He used his teeth to scrape over the head and pushed his tongue into his slit, loving the way his partner moved beneath him.

Gibbs growled again as the pleasure he experienced threatened to rob him of his senses. “You need to stop, unless you don’t want to ride me anymore.” He gasped out and thrust upwards when Tony lapped at his sensitive head again.

“Spoil sport,” Tony’s voice was hoarse, but he moved away and even managed to get to his feet to rid himself of the last of his clothes. He removed Gibbs’ shoes before pulling his lowered jeans and underwear right off. “Now, where were we?” He crawled up Gibbs’ lap and pressed their bodies together, making both of them groan.

Gibbs kneaded Tony’s ass, his finger brushing over the puckered entrance, loving the way Tony’s body responded to his touch. He pressed his finger in and groaned as Tony’s channel sucked him right in. “So tight, even after all these years.” He let his finger slide out again and pushed it in deeper. Tony’s entrance was not slick with any lube, so it was dry, but both men knew Tony loved the hurt. Gibbs continued to play with Tony’s hole, loving the sounds that emanated from Tony. “Not gonna hurt you,” Gibbs whispered against Tony’s skin as his lover whimpered and he withdrew his finger from the tight space. He reached around and pressed his finger against Tony’s mouth. His eyes filled with lust as Tony took the digit into his mouth and started sucking on it. “Nice and wet, Tony.” Gibbs looked on as Tony did just as he asked and soon his fingers were dripping with spit.

“Jethro,” Tony moaned and arched his back as Gibbs wet finger breached him again. He leaned back on his heels and gasped as the single finger slipped in. This time it had gone in easier and he wiggled his hips as he tried to get Gibbs’ finger to go even deeper. His hips bucked as Gibbs curled his finger and scraped it over his prostate. Small stars ignited at the intense flash of pleasure. “More,” he begged and sighed as the pressure in his channel became more when one finger became two.

Gibbs fingered Tony for a while, scraping the glad over and over, taking Tony to the edge and back, making the younger man babble gibberish before he finally removed his fingers and grabbed his own leaking cock to push it against the rim. He teased the hole with his cock-head before he pressed forward.

Tony shivered as the blunt head finally popped into him. He straightened and felt himself descend onto Gibbs’ cock. He loved the burning sensation as his body struggled to accept the girth, but finally he found himself flush against Gibbs’ thighs.

Gibbs shuddered, and had to remain still. He knew Tony would have no complaints if he used his hands on Tony’s hips to start up a rhythm, but Tony loved the way he would sink into him and he loved seeing the expression of bliss that painted Tony’s features when they found themselves in such a position.

Tony could feel Gibbs’ cock throbbed deep within him and he finally knew it was time to move. He lifted his hips a bit, letting Gibbs slide out an inch or two before lowering himself again. He kept his pace steady and slow, making both men moan in ecstasy with each movement.

“Faster, fuck.” Gibbs breathed hard and tried to get Tony to move faster.

“My ride,” Tony leaned in and twisted his hips as he grabbed Gibbs’ head and crushed their lips together.

Gibbs mumbled something unintelligible, and then shouted out in surprise as Tony lifted his hips high before slamming back down onto him, impaling himself hard. From there the room was filled with grunts and moans, as Tony kept up the hard pace. Gibbs found Tony’s cock between their bodies and let his thumb play with the crown, slicking the shaft with the pre-cum that gathered at the tip before making a fist and yanking Tony’s cock with the same rhythm as what Tony was riding him.

Tony was on the brink of exploding, he could feel his stomach tightening, his balls heavy with seed and as Gibbs’ thumb brushed over his sensitive head again, he shivered once and came with a howl. The thick streaks of his seed covered Gibbs’ hand and landed on Gibbs’ chest.

Tony’s channel became like a vice around his cock and as the pressure increased Gibbs found his own release. He could feel himself pulsating deep within his lover, his cock spitting out his own release as Tony tried to keep on riding him, but his movements were uncoordinated at this stage. He gave one final grunt and sighed as Tony slumped forward and landed heavily on his chest. “Fuck,” he managed to speak, even if it was only the one word.

“Just did that.” Tony was out of breath as he leaned forward to enable Gibbs’ spent cock to slip free. Both men moaned at the loss of the connection between them, but didn’t move an inch. Instead, Tony used his fingers to trace the ropes of cum on Gibbs’ chest and rubbed it into his lover’s skin. “Mine,” he whispered the word and kissed Gibbs gently.

“Mine,” Gibbs repeated the word and turned their bodies so that he could spoon behind Tony. He knew that he should clean up, but with Tony in his arms and feeling totally sedated, there was nothing more that he just wanted to where he was. “Love you, Tony.” He said the words against Tony’s back and bent his knee to slip it in between Tony’s legs. He could feel the slick of himself at Tony’s hole and it made him growl. Tony was really his.

Tony sighed again and snuggled deeper against Gibbs’ chest. His hole ached after that round of wild sex, but he wouldn’t have wanted it in any other way himself. “Love you, Jethro.” Tony replied and then closed his eyes. It was time for a nap and then he would get his surprise. With a smile on his face, he finally dozed off.

**NCIS_REVERSEBANG_2016**

Gibbs had stopped trying to get Tony to stand still. They were at the designated spot and waiting for Tony’s surprise. He’d thought that after their round of sex at the hotel, some of Tony’s energy would have dissipated, but it seemed like he had it wrong. Gibbs grinned when he thought of Tony’s reaction when he first mentioned the surprise…

_“You remember when you thought I was keeping something from you?” Gibbs took Tony’s hand as the bedridden man tried to touch the spot at the back of his head when Gibbs had slammed him into the wall._

_Tony nodded his head. He didn’t have the words to respond._

_“You were right; I was hiding something from you.” Gibbs took out his phone and managed to get the photo he was looking for on his phone. “This is what I’ve been keeping from you.” He showed the photo to Tony._

_Tony frowned. “A car?” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”_

_“What car is this?” Gibbs had asked in reply._

_“It’s a Ferrari 308 GTS, one like Magnum P.I. drove.” Tony answered and frowned as Gibbs smiled at him._

_“Correct.” Gibbs grinned. “Do you know what happened to the original Ferrari that was used in the series?”_

_“It was owned by a guy called Oscar Verdugo, as far as I know.” Tony replied._

_“It was sold on EBay in July 2004.” Gibbs explained. “It was sold for $60 000, and then it disappeared off the map for a while. And then I heard of it.” Gibbs could see he had Tony’s full attention, so he continued. “You remember that convention Vance made me attend about seven months ago?” When Tony nodded his head, Gibbs continued. “I found an old Marine buddy of mine there and he was into collecting old cars, to be more precise, he was into collecting those cars used in different television series’. He bragged about the fact that he owned the Ford Gran Torino of Starsky & Hutch fame. He owned the KITT car of Night Rider fame, the 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am, but he also owned one other car that got my attention._

_Tony looked at the photo and then at Gibbs. “He has the Magnum Ferrari.”_

_“Yes, he owns the original Ferrari that was used in the series.” Gibbs took a deep breath. “And now it’s yours.”_

_The yells of jubilations were curtailed as the nursing staff threw Gibbs out for the night and made sure Tony got some sleep, but it didn’t matter. Tony now knew what Gibbs kept from him, and that was all that mattered._

He looked up as Tony shrieked and looked up as the large truck came around the corner and slowly made its way over to them. He grinned as Deacon blew the truck’s air horn before bringing the truck to a halt. Tony was first at the driver’s door.

“It wasn’t stolen, or blown up, was it?” Tony couldn’t help but to ask as the burly man got out of the cab of the truck.

Deacon arched his brow and looked on as Gibbs laughed. “Uh, no. It’s in one piece.”

“Thanks for bringing her down, Deacon.” Gibbs clasped the man on the shoulder.

“No problem, Gunny.” Deacon looked on as Gibbs’ partner opened the back doors and without any difficulty got himself in the cargo hold. He couldn’t help but to smile when he heard Tony’s cry of pleasure. “Think he’s gonna let us get it out? Or am I hauling you and the car back to DC?”

Gibbs smiled. “There’s no way Tony would let this car get to DC in any other way but by driving it himself. We’ll get it out.” He climbed into the back of the truck and found himself with a body pressed hard against his.

“Thank you,” Tony breathed against his skin and closed his eyes to get his own heart rate under control.

Gibbs held on, he felt the small trembles of Tony’s frame against him and once again realized just how much it meant to his lover. “Let’s get it out.” He placed a kiss on top of Tony’s head and together they moved out of the truck and looked on as Deacon used the ramps to drive the car out. It was then that Tony spotted the license plate.

“Is that the...?” He looked stunned.

“Yep, and that’s the reason why it took so long to get it to you.” Gibbs smiled. “Deacon was more than happy to bring the car earlier, but it wouldn’t have had the license plate. It took longer than we thought to get through all of the red tape, but there it is. It’s registered in your name.”

Tony couldn’t help but to grin from ear to ear as he took in the number. 56E-478, it was the original plate number even before it was changed to Robin 1. Tony was at a loss for words as he traced the car with his fingers. He looked up and found Gibbs’ eyes on him. It made him blush. He turned and faced the car again. “It’s got a V8 engine, 5 speed manual gearbox, with a top speed of 156 mph. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds.” He grinned. “Thank you,” he reached out and shook Deacon’s hand and then hugged Gibbs again. He still had no idea how Gibbs got his Marine friend to part with the car, but it was the best surprise ever.

“Well,” Deacon spoke up. “I need to get back to business.” He reached out, shook Tony’s hand again and couldn’t help but to smile as Tony smiled. It was as if the man witnessed Christmas for the first time.

“Gunny,” Deacon greeted Gibbs as well. “Stay in touch.”

“We will, Deacon.” Gibbs shook Deacon’s hand as he stood next to Tony. They looked on as Deacon retracted the ramps before closing the large door and getting into the cab again. They both waved as Deacon used the air horn again before he drove off.

“Are you ready?” Tony turned and smiled.

“I’m ready; let’s just get the bags in the back.” Gibbs walked over to where their bags stood and lifted them in the car. He barked out a laugh as Tony jumped over the closed door and slid into the driver’s seat.

Tony couldn’t help but to purr as he slid into the seat. It was all that he expected and yet so much more. He waited for Gibbs to get in before he turned the key. He could feel the power beneath him as he pressed down the gas. “Let’s go home,” he smiled as he put the car in first and pulled away. His Woo-hoo was followed by an Ooohrah from Gibbs as they sped off on their way back to DC.

They would sleep over one more night, but Tony couldn’t wait to show off his new baby, and he couldn’t wait to christen it when Gibbs took him in the back seat. They might not be twenty, but age didn’t matter. No one could ever be too old for back seat sex.

**The End**

**Original art piece**

[ ](http://s792.photobucket.com/user/Dont_hate_me01/media/Prompt_zpsqroudopw.jpg.html)


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